Soluna - Volume One
by Saarth'ir
Summary: The first volume in the 'Soluna' series. A "based-on" continuation of the series, 'Sailor Ranko'. Set after 'Sailor Ranko: Thrice in a Millennium'. The Senshi's long streak of peace is shattered when an unknown force begins preparations to invade the Terran city of Tokyo. Will the Senshi, along with some unexpected allies, be able to defend the city from this new dark threat?
1. Prologue

Soluna – Volume One

Prologue

By Saarth'ir

Based on the "Sailor Ranko" series, started by Duncan Zillman, and continued by Kevin D. Hammel, Arthur Hansen, and Rebecca Heineman. "Sailor Ranko is, in turn based on the series "Sailor Moon" by Naoko Takeuchi and "Ranma 1/2" by Rumiko Takahashi. Therefore, many of these characters are owned and copyrighted by their respective owners. So, with that out of the way, enjoy!

* * *

As the twin orbs which acted as the plane's suns began to peak over the horizon, the dull, dark landscape was engulfed by the warm light which they emitted. This did nothing to liven the atmosphere of the desolate realm however. For as long as any denizen of the dark world could remember, it had always been a scarred and desolate land, devoid of the lively essence that so many other planes possessed. There were no trees. At least, nothing that resembled trees. All there were was rocks and dirt. That did not matter though, this plane suited its inhabitants just fine. At least for the time being.

The glowing orbs continued to rise, their light stretching across the ground, illuminating everything in their celestial gaze. Eventually, the light reached an unnatural structure and began to brighten it, revealing its form fully. A monstrous fortress, made of dark and unearthly metals and other materials. Four massive spires, towering from the cold earth, served as the backbones for the rest of the structure. The windows, crevices, and ledges which adorned the walls of the building gave it an appearance very similar to a castle one might see in a fantasy movie. The sharp metal barbs and blades which protruded from the building served to even further propose the idea that this structure belonged to some evil warlord from some film.

As the light nearly reached the top of the massive structure, a being emerged onto one of the balconies near the top of the building. She raised her hand to her brow to shade her maroon eyes from the invading luminescence, her dark brown robe shifting to accommodate her movements. The suns' light beat down on her shoulder-length auburn hair and navy skin. As her eyes adjusted to the harsh light, she peered down to the fields below.

Dozens of beings of all shapes and sizes scurried along the ground, appearing to serve no purpose from the towering viewpoint. That is, until one noticed the large object which they were all congregating around. It consisted of two large, curved, talon-shaped structures which protruded from a flat slab of black stone. The two structures were positioned so that their tips were nearly touching each other. This gave the object the appearance of a half ring emerging from the ground below.

The woman upon the balcony watched as the tiny figures moved to and from the semi-circular object, hard at work. The shiny, black stone which the structure was situated upon glowed fiercely in the suns' light. It produced a sharp contrast in comparison to the dull earth surrounding it. The dark, barren, desolate, dull earth. That did not matter though, this plane suited its inhabitants just fine. At least for the time being. A grin appeared on the woman's face, revealing an array of sharp inhuman fangs. The plane would not have to suit its inhabitants for much longer.


	2. Chapter One: A Morning in Juuban

Soluna – Volume One

Chapter One: A Morning in Juuban

By Saarth'ir

Based on the "Sailor Ranko" series, started by Duncan Zillman, and continued by Kevin D. Hammel, Arthur Hansen, and Rebecca Heineman. "Sailor Ranko is, in turn based on the series "Sailor Moon" by Naoko Takeuchi and "Ranma 1/2" by Rumiko Takahashi. Therefore, many of these characters are owned and copyrighted by their respective owners. So, with that out of the way, enjoy!

* * *

It was a warm morning in the Juuban ward of Tokyo. As the early morning mists began to dissipate, and the temperature warmed, many people could be seen going about their morning routines. Young children and their accompanying parents cheerfully walked to school. Groups of teenagers happily gossiped amongst themselves as they made their way to their own schools. In sharp contrast, adult men and women, clad in their business attire, hurried themselves along to their workplaces. Young adolescents, working simple morning jobs such as newspaper delivery, rushed down the streets on foot or bicycle, eager to finish their work and return home for some rest. From all the activity, one would assume that everyone in the neighborhood was already out and about. However, that was not quite true. Near the end of a small road, a lone home stood, its neighbors long since condemned. Within the walls of the quaint, yet inviting two-story home, its inhabitants worked to join the rest of the community outside. Or, at least, one did.

"Ranma, are you ready yet? If we don't hurry, we're going to be late for home-room!" Akane Saotome swore to herself that she had to hound her husband with that same remark at least four times just this morning. She waited impatiently at the bottom of the stairs, already dressed in her sailor-style school uniform.

_What in the world is taking him so long? _she thought to herself. Ranma was rarely punctual, but he usually wasn't this bad!

Just then, the pigtailed boy, well, currently pigtailed girl, groggily made her way down the steps. She walked with all the grace of an old man on his eighteenth beer. She wore her signature red Chinese blouse and black sweatpants. The staff at both Furinkan and Juuban high had long since given up on trying to force Ranma to stick to uniform. It just wouldn't happen.

"Good morning sleepyhead," The raven-haired girl snickered at her currently female husband. "Did you decide to go to school as a girl today? Mina-chan will be so happy!"

Ranma lifted her head to reveal her face, sporting a nasty scowl. "Shaddup. The shower ran out of hot water."

Akane couldn't help but laugh. "You're kidding, right?" She eyed Ranma suspiciously, "How could the hot water run out? Last time I checked, we paid our bills."

The ugly look on Ranma's face remained where it was. "Well, maybe if someone didn't spend thirty minutes in the shower, doing who-knows what, we'd have some hot water left for the other people living here!"

"Wha- What?" Akane nearly shrieked. She was completely taken aback by Ranma's accusation. "Are you blaming ME?" She huffed and held her nose high, "Well, maybe if someone didn't always sleep in so late, he could have the shower first!"

Ranma noticed Akane's aura begin to flare. While she was still half-asleep, the half that was awake realized that egging her wife on anymore could result in her being smashed into the ground. The red-head's eyes locked onto the boxes which she just noticed Akane was carrying.

"Are those our lunches?" Ranma asked, pointing at the bentos.

Akane looked down at the bundle in her arms. She nodded, her aura evaporating already, "Mhm. Some good stuff on the menu today."

Ranma gulped, "So does that mean you made it?" She had to be careful. The last thing she wanted to do was offset Akane's temper again with a comment about her cooking. If one could even call it that.

"Not all of it," Akane said with a neutral expression on her face. "Your mother made most of it, I just helped with a couple of things."

CHA-CHING! _Saved!_ Ranma thought to herself. She was able to distract Akane from the previous argument, and she didn't have to insult her cooking. A win-win in Ranma's mind. She noted that she would have to carefully examine the food at lunch time to sort her mother's delicious cooking from Akane's own toxic concoctions.

Akane interrupted Ranma's thoughts, "Come on. Let's get you some hot water and get out of here. We're still late to school!"

Ranma nodded and followed her wife to the kitchen. As they waited for a kettle of water to heat up on the stove, Ranma noticed that her mother was missing. "Hey Akane, where's mom?" she asked.

Akane was carefully examining the watch on her wrist. It was a very nice watch. Not Rolex nice, but elegant none the less. It couldn't have been less than fifty-thousand yen. She received it as a gift from her friend Yuka for her eighteenth birthday. When she asked Yuka how much it had cost her, her friend merely smiled and told her not to worry about it, and that she deserved it. Akane would have to get her friend something extra nice for her birthday.

She finally answered, still staring at the face of her watch, "She said she had to head to Nerima to meet with Kasumi about something." Akane raised her head to look at Ranma. "She also said that she would be staying at the dojo late, and that we should come over for dinner if we have the time."

The prospect of Kasumi's cooking was always reason enough for Ranma to make that journey. "Sounds good to me," Ranma beamed, "We can head over after school. 'Sides, I wanna stop by Ucchan's and check up on her and Konatsu."

Ranma always tried to make time to visit her best friend. Especially ever since they got back from Jusendo. Any time Ranma would show up, Ukyo would have something new to show her. It made Ranma feel like a kid going to the circus; she never knew what to expect next. She also got a free meal out of it, so there was no way she could complain.

Once again, Ranma's thoughts were interrupted by Akane, "Don't forget though, Rei wanted to have a meeting this afternoon after school." The expression on her face turned to one of deep thought. "We may not be able to make it to Nerima today."

Ranma's dreams of okonomiyaki and Kasumi's cooking were shattering before her. "Aww, c'mon," she pouted. "Maybe we can have the meeting another day. It's not like anything's been happening that the Senshi need to worry about. It's been quiet for months now!"

It was true. Ever since the Senshi's battle at Jusendo involving the Phoenix people and Musk Dynasty had been resolved, there hadn't been much need for the Senshi around Tokyo. If nothing else, it was a much needed break for them, and most of them were happy to accept it. Even so, Rei, Ami, Luna, and Artemis still wanted to hold regular meetings. The last thing they wanted was for everyone to fall out of shape, both physically and mentally. While no one was particularly against the meetings, there were times when complaints were brought up regarding the inconvenience of some of the meetings. Most of the Senshi were in their senior year of school now, and the relentless projects and bundles of homework were wearing on them. If anything, this break in activity was a blessing for them, allowing them to focus on their civilian personas, which were about to reach crucial moments in their lives.

"I know that Ranma, but you know it's not up to me." Akane noticed the kettle was steaming and took it off the stove top. "You should contact Rei or Artemis and see if they're willing to delay the meeting." She poured some of the water into a cup to let it cool some, not wanting to afflict third-degree burns on her husband.

Ranma looked rather sullen. "I know, but I don't think they're gonna delay it just for us."

Akane grabbed the cup of hot water and splashed it onto Ranma. "Well, you'll never know until you try."

"Yeah, I guess." The now male Ranma grabbed a rag to dry his hair and the puddle on the ground. As soon as he was done, Akane grabbed his hand and began to dash out of the kitchen.

"Now come on! We're really going to be late for school now," she groaned as they rushed out the front door, into the warm outdoor air.

* * *

The walk to school, or that is to say, mad dash to school was uneventful. Nothing got between the pair's journey, which surprised Ranma. Even so, that lucky break would not be enough. By the time they reached the front gates, the school bell's loud ring announced that home-room had ended. Ranma and Akane never stopped, making their way to their first class as quickly as possible. As they ascended the stairs, Ranma considered just skipping his first class. It was math after all, and he hated math. Before he could think about it any further, Akane grabbed the door handle to the classroom and nearly ripped the door off of its slide.

As soon as the door opened, dozens of heads turned to stare at the couple. Akane noticed Usagi sitting in the blonde's usual spot. That was NOT a good sign. If Usagi got to school before you, you knew you were really late.

"Sorry we're late Mr. Inuchi! Ranma had an issue with our shower." Akane was panting as she tried to explain her excuse for being tardy. She may be fit, arguably super-human, but a non-stop multi-kilometer run at that speed was still somewhat taxing.

Soft chuckling and gossiping could be heard coming from some of the students in the classroom. They had a pretty good idea of what a "shower issue" implied for the cursed martial artist.

Mr. Inuchi cleared his throat, shushing any remaining mumbles from the back of the class. "Well Mr. and Mrs. Saotome, unless the shower head transformed into a demon and attacked you, I'm afraid your excuse is still just an excuse. Go stand in the hall." he said with a serious face as he pointed out the door the pair had just entered.

As the duo left the room, Mr. Inuchi thought he heard Ranma mumble something sounding like, "Like a shower demon would be any threat compared to all the other demons I've beaten." The teacher shook his head, then turned his attention back to his class.

After math ended, Ranma and Akane caught up with the others on their way back to their desks.

Usagi immediately began giggling after the two took their seats near her. "I can't believe you guys got here after me! Ranma maybe, but not you Akane."

"Well, I wouldn't have been late if it wasn't for 'Mister Can't Take a Cold Shower' over here," she said, pointing to her husband with her thumb.

Ranma quickly retorted. "Oh! Like it was really my fault 'Miss Takes All the Hot Water'! If you spent five less minutes in the shower, we wouldn't have had this problem in the first place!"

Ami decided to change the subject before the argument escalated any further then it already had, and what better way to derail a subject then making Usagi the focal point. "Well, I'm surprised you managed to stay awake the entire class today, Usagi," she said with a proud smile gracing her face.

Ami was trying her hardest to help all of her friends reach their full educational potential. With placement exams coming up in just a couple of months, the genius girl wanted to make sure that she, and all the others made it to the universities they wanted. She found that, while changing Usagi's lifestyle was nearly impossible, simply getting her to make it through classes awake worked wonders. So long as the double-pony-tailed girl stayed awake and wasn't distracted, she could absorb information quite well.

"Hey!" Usagi whined as she puffed up her face. "I don't fall asleep in class nearly as much anymore!"

Makoto chuckled. "Right! Now you only sleep through two out of three classes, instead of all three."

Everyone joined in the laughter except Usagi. They meant no harm by it, as they all cared for her very deeply. It was simply fun to poke at her before she became the queen that would rule over all of them.

"Guuuuuuys! It's not funny!" Usagi pouted.

Makoto wiped her eyes, which had watered from laughing. "Sorry. You're right, you've made some real progress since last year." She turned to face the rest of the group. "Anyhow, this is where I split off. I'll see y'all at third period."

The tall brunette made her way out of the classroom, towards where her morning culinary arts class awaited. At this point, nearly everyone in the school, both students and faculty, knew of Makoto's wondrous skills in the kitchen. After discovering that the girl's scores were above average, Mrs. Takamura, the school's culinary arts instructor, insisted to the school board that Makoto be allowed to attend the teacher's morning class as an aide and assistant. After much deliberation and argument, the board agreed. The promise of first dibs on whatever Ms. Kino ended up baking certainly helped them come to their decision.

After saying her farewells, Ami quickly followed Makoto's trail, heading to the school library for her tutoring sessions. Even with devoting so much time to being the Senshi of Mercury, Ami managed to get herself exempted from many of her senior year classes. While said classes were in session, she could be found in the library, either studying or helping others study. On some occasions, she would sit outside and work with Luna and Artemis on Senshi related subjects.

Minako also dismissed herself and left the room, making her way to the gym for the team's morning volleyball practice session. With the competitive season in full swing, the school's physical education and sports board insisted that their star team get as much practice in as possible; to the point of even excusing the players from some of their morning classes.

Sulking about their lack of exemptions from classes, the martial artist couple and Usagi made their way back to their desks for their second class, World History. It wasn't a subject that particularly interested the trio, but Luna strongly recommended that everyone pay attention in their history classes.

Over the years, the Senshi had gained more and more popularity on a wider level. During their initial battles, they mostly worked in the shadow of society, rarely garnering public attention. It was fitting to their title, Guardians, who worked to protect the world without the world even knowing it was in danger. However, as their adventures continued, they caught the eyes of the public. Fans and critics started appearing around Juuban. Eventually, as tales of their deeds continued to spread, they gained national fame. People all around the country knew who the Senshi were, and as such, the public transformed their images from that of warriors to something more like comic book super heroes. Within the past year, other nations began to acknowledge the existence of the magical beings. Luna believed it was only a matter of time before the Senshi would have to interact with countries other then Japan, and therefore, truly bring themselves into the eyes of the world. As such, she believed the best way to prepare was to study not only the workings of other nations, but their histories as well.

After what seemed like an eternity, the bell sounded, signaling the end of second period. Within a second of the teacher leaving the room, Ranma's eyelids collapsed. He had fought all throughout the class to stay awake, and finally, he could give way to his fatigue. Akane noticed her sleeping husband and felt both pity and humor knowing that his sleep would only last a few minutes before the next class began.

As Usagi and Akane mingled with their classmates, Ami, Minako, and Makoto returned to the room. The two girls immediately noticed the purple blotches all over the entering brunette. All three newcomers were smiling and in the middle of a discussion, which seemed to be about Makoto's new style.

"So, Mrs. Takamura started screaming 'No! No! Eiko! That's not vanilla extract!', but before she could do anything about it, the pie exploded!" Makoto let out a quick laugh, remembering the exact details in her mind. "The next thing we knew, we were all covered in pie filling."

"Sounds like something Usagi or Akane would do," Minako remarked with a big grin on her face. She purposely said it loud enough for the mentioned girls to hear.

"HEY! What's that supposed to mean?" exclaimed a duet of voices.

Minako's grin remained, "Oh, nothing." She placed her belongings on her desk and took her seat. Ami followed suit.

As Makoto placed her own bag on her desk, she noticed the pie filling stuck to her sleeves. "Well, I should go wash up. Ugh," she groaned as she touched the purple substance, "This is going to be hell to get out of this uniform."

Minako quickly jumped up from her seat, and ran over to her friend, "Let me join you! I didn't have a chance to stop for some water after practice, I'm parched."

As the blonde began to walk out of the classroom, she noticed the sleeping pigtailed boy. A devilish smirk appeared on her face. "I guess I'll grab some nice cold water for someone else too." With that, she followed Makoto out of the room to the nearest bathroom.

Ranma's pigtail twitched. His subconscious noticed the message. It kicked into overdrive to try to wake the rest of him up before the she-devil got back with the poison.

As the third-class bell sounded, a very grumpy, very female Ranma sat in her chair. Her hair was still dripping with the water which had not only just interrupted her sleep, but her manhood as well. As the teacher babbled on about some American author named Ernest Hemingway, Ranma could think of one thing, and one thing only. Sweet, sweet revenge.

After class ended, while she was packing up her belongings for lunch, Akane couldn't help but notice that Ranma was still glaring at Minako. "Looks like she really got to him this time," she thought to herself as she walked out of the room. As she walked down the hall towards the stair well, the day's events crossed her mind. A heated argument with her then-female husband regarding shower bills. Being forced to miss her first class because of said argument. Makoto being covered in pie filling. And now, Ranma most likely planning some sort of stupid revenge against Minako. It was only lunch time, and yet, the day seemed so bland. Compared to most days, today was one of the most boring Akane could remember in the Saotome's recent life. Just a... normal day in the life. Akane almost wished something exciting would happen.

* * *

With the barren realm's twin suns now at the peak of their journey, the dry earth below heated up to extreme temperatures. The many beings working on the strange construction showed obvious fatigue from the heat. Even so, they pressed on, eager to finish the monolithic object. The sooner they finished, the sooner they were able to hide from the blasted heat. This thought process seemed to grant some of them renewed vigor, and so, progress continued.

Upon a balcony adorning the side of the ebony citadel, the robed figure stood, still watching the work of those below. While the structure of the building offered a large amount of shade on the balcony, the dark metallic material did not help to alleviate the scalding temperature. Sweat adorned the woman's brow, but she payed it no attention. Her mind was set on much greater things. A new world to call home, billions of people to siphon life energy from, and of course, revenge. Revenge against those who had caused her harm in the past. Revenge against the blasted Senshi who brought her pain and suffering. Revenge against the harbinger of flames a million times hotter then the heat she was feeling now. Revenge against Sailor Sun.

"Pardon, Mistress," a voice came from within the building behind her.

"Approach," the robed woman replied.

A figure appeared in the doorway, immediately illuminated from the twin suns' light. In some ways, she appeared similar to the other woman, in others, not as much. Her form towered above that of her mistress, easily twice as tall as her. Her hair, reaching down to the small of her back, was an almost magenta color. Her stern, turquoise eyes stared into the horizon with the steely look of a veteran warrior. A black body-suit covered most of her granite-colored skin. The body-suit itself covered by a heavy silver plate armor, complete with shoulder guards as well as a cape that matched her hair. Finally, a massive sword rested, holstered on her back. The enormous being knelt before her mistress. Even lowering herself into this position, she was still as tall as her ruler.

Without turning to face her visitor, the robed woman asked, "What is it?". She continued to stare at the many workers, buzzing around like ants below her. "Do you have something to report?"

The kneeling warrior continued to stare at the ground. "Lead Engineer Moka has informed me that construction is proceeding ahead of schedule. In fact, the portal should be operational within the next couple of hours."

A sinister smile slowly crept onto the standing woman's face. The grin continued to grow until a mouth-full of fangs were visible. She finally turned to face her charge.

"Excellent! This is excellent news," the woman cackled. "With this new portal finally finished, we will be able to send dozens, no, hundreds of warriors through at once! There is no way the Senshi can stand before us now!"

The cackle escalated into full-on laughter. "Today, a new day dawns for our kind! Today, the Earth and its people belong to us! Today," she paused to regain her composure, "...Today, I will surpass both Beryl and Jadeite. I will succeed where both of them had failed."

"Tekokowa!" she called upon the prostrated servant. The armored warrior looked up at her mistress. "Assemble a shock troop of some of our finest warriors to spearhead the invasion. I want Tokyo under my control before the twin suns set. Am I understood?"

Tekokowa crossed her arm over her chest in salute, "Understood, Mistress." The soldier arose and left the robed woman alone.

She returned to face the edge of the balcony, watching the final touches be completed on the monolithic portal. Her smile never left her face as the portal's arches began to glisten with magical energies.

* * *

Author's Notes:  
So here we go. Finally the story begins. Just a heads up: The story will be a little slow to get started, but hopefully it will all be worth it.

Another thing that I should mention is that Tekokowa is actually a character from the 'Sailor Ranko' webcomic. I really liked the design and idea behind her, so I decided to use her for this series. (I really hope that's okay!)


	3. Chapter Two: A Day in Juuban

Soluna – Volume One

Chapter Two: A Day in Juuban

By Saarth'ir

Based on the "Sailor Ranko" series, started by Duncan Zillman, and continued by Kevin D. Hammel, Arthur Hansen, and Rebecca Heineman. "Sailor Ranko is, in turn based on the series "Sailor Moon" by Naoko Takeuchi and "Ranma 1/2" by Rumiko Takahashi. Therefore, many of these characters are owned and copyrighted by their respective owners. So, with that out of the way, enjoy!

* * *

As the sun progressed passed the apex of its journey across the sky, the temperature settled to its daily peak. A pleasant wind could occasionally be felt blowing by the various people outdoors, offering a very much appreciated, if not brief, alleviation from the hot, not-quite-Summer air. Those still indoors either benefited from the wonderful reprieve of air conditioning, or sweltered within the confines of a building which did not offer such luxuries.

While the students and faculty inside Juuban High School fortunately fell under the former group, if one looked close enough through the school's many windows, they would see dozens of pairs of wanting eyes eagerly looking back out, awaiting the bell that would signal their freedom. They would not have to wait long. The final bell of the day finally rang out through the corridors of the large school, and within seconds, hundreds of students evacuated into the halls and towards the school entrance. As many groups of students collected their belongings and hurried out of the school gates, one group of six took their time leaving the property, apparently in no eager hurry.

"It's a good thing the class ended when it did! Mr. Mori was about to ask me to answer a question about that Avocado person." Minako proclaimed as her face took a jubilant tone. "Talk about being saved before the bell!"

"It's Avogadro not Avocado, and I think you mean 'saved by the bell'." responded Ami casually, not taking her eyes off the book she was studying to see her blonde friend's annoyed glance. "Really though, I fully expect you to mess up these phrases, but you really should be paying more attention in class." The genius girl finally withdrew her face from her book to look at her friend, a downcast expression on her face. "Graduation is coming up in the next couple of months, and we all need to be ready. I really don't want anyone to end up failing and us getting split up because of it."

"Bah! I don't get why we need to know about this Avoca- err, Avogadro guy or any of this Chemistry stuff anyways! It's all just a pile of nonsense." Minako scrunched up her face, making it appear as if she was physically trying to push the subject out of her head.

"It's not the specifics that are important. The concepts are, as well as knowing the fundamentals of how our universe works." Ami looked thoughtful for a second. "It's our duty as the future founders of a nation to be able to understand everything that's expected of us as leaders."

Usagi looked down at the mention of her destined future. "You really should try to pay more attention in class. At this point even Ranma is doing better in Chemistry than either you or Usagi," Ami added.

The aforementioned boy suddenly found himself in the spotlight and quickly turned his gaze skyward to avoid the incoming glares from the two blondes. Before either girl could form a rebuke against either Ranma or Ami, Makoto walked up behind the two blondes and placed her arms around their shoulders.

"Now, now, Ami. There's nothing to worry about. None of us are going to fail." the tall brunette said cheerfully, looking at the genius girl. "We'll all see each other in a couple of months at graduation. I just know it!" a goofy grin illuminated her face. At this, nearly all the animosity between friends instantly evaporated.

"How do you know about our grades though, Ami?" asked Usagi, curiously. "I thought they were supposed to be secret."

Ami looked to her dear friend and sometimes-leader and stated matter-of-factly, "I am officially tutoring most of you, did you forget? I get access to your test scores so I can know what subjects you need help with." With that, she allowed a small, yet sincere smile appear on her face. "Don't worry. I'm not planning on sharing them with anyone who doesn't need to see them." While the answer helped alleviate most of her concerns, Usagi couldn't help but worry that her mother fell under the group who did 'need' to see them.

As the group continued their journey, Akane suddenly nudged her husband with her elbow and cleared her throat. Ranma looked at her, bewildered, until finally realization dawned.

"Oh yeah," the pig-tailed boy suddenly said. "Hey guys, we're supposed to have a meeting today, right?" He already knew the answer, but asked ignorantly anyways. Sure enough, he received multiple nods from the girls.

"Well, mom asked Akane and I if we could show up to the dojo tonight," he stated, tapping his index fingers together, "and we were hopin' to head over there now so we could stop at Ucchan's and see her and Konatsu." Ranma stopped walking and looked thoughtful. "'Sides, shouldn't they be joinin' us for the meeting? They can't make it today, so maybe we should reschedule."

The group stopped walking to discuss the request. Ami pointed out that the meeting was Luna and Rei's idea and they had wanted to hold it today because Rei and her grandfather were leaving to Okayama the coming weekend to visit an old priest friend of her grandfather's. If they had to postpone the meeting, they would have to wait nearly a week for Rei to return for a rescheduled meeting. Ranma realized that it was important for Rei, as Usagi's second-in-command, to be able to attend the meeting, but still could not help but look depressed.

"You know," Usagi suddenly piped up and looked at the married couple, "If you two want, you can skip today's meeting and go see Ukyo and Konatsu." She offered the pair a warm smile. "It's not like this meeting will be super important. I'm sure Luna will be fine with you two taking a rain check. Besides, even if we do need you there, it's nothing a quick 'Sun Beam Transport' won't fix!"

Minako, Makoto, and Ami all smiled at Usagi's statement. It was times like these, when the suppressed personality of a leader peeked out from the normally ditzy blonde, that made them proud to be her friends. The Saotome's also smiled and thanked Usagi, and informed her that they would keep their communicators on in case they were needed, before they headed out towards the train station.

Even with the reminder of Sailor Sun's unique transportation magic, the couple preferred not to rely on it too much, else they get lazy. Ranma was finally getting the hang of the power after a lot of practice. As Sailor Sun, he was getting to the point where he could teleport not only himself, but a group of others around the world multiple times in a row. He still had issues when he began a teleport in an area that had succumbed to nightfall, often arriving at the destination dizzy and tired, but the constant practice had made him able to recover much quicker then previously. Even so, the couple agreed that a casual trip across Tokyo was not a worthy excuse for "practicing" a 'Sun Beam Transport'. As they approached the station, the combined thoughts of good food and seeing his best friend and newest team member caused a child-like grin to appear on Ranma's face.

* * *

After Ranma and Akane had departed from the group, the remaining girls continued their journey to the Hikawa shrine, casually chatting about school, life, and in Minako and Makoto's case, boys. As they ascended the stairs at the entrance of the shrine, they caught sight of Rei sweeping the grounds. The girls called out their greetings to her, and saw, as she looked at them, the faintest shadow of a frown immediately leave her face only to be replaced by a warm smile.

"Hey girls! I'm glad you all made it," she exclaimed as she approached the arriving group. Her eyebrow raised in a puzzled look when she noticed something, or rather someones were missing. "Where are Ranma and Akane? Shouldn't they be with you?"

Before Usagi could explain, Ami decided to be the scapegoat for her and save her the possibility of being teased by Rei. There was no doubt that Rei deeply respected and cared for Usagi, nearly to the point where they seemed like sisters at times. However, Rei still had a nasty habit of teasing the poor blonde for the smallest of reasons. Again, almost like sisters. Even so, the miko was getting much better at not snapping at Usagi for every little thing.

"They had some prior plans in Nerima, so we decided to excuse them from the meeting." A shy look appeared on Ami's face. "I hope that's okay with you, Rei. If we need them, they're just a teleport away after all."

Rei looked over to glance at Usagi and couldn't help but smile when she saw the blonde nod to her. "Yeah, that's fine. Luna just wanted to hold this meeting to check up on our progress and plan further training. It's just going to be us anyways, the others are all busy with their own business."

As Rei finished her short summary of the meeting's purpose, there was a sudden, loud crash from one of the nearby storage buildings. Her smile quickly died, making way for the frown which adorned her face earlier.

"Ugh, what in the world did he do now? That idiot," Rei sighed as she placed her hand on her forehead. "With us leaving Friday, Grandpa's trying to teach Yuuichirou how to take care of the special stock and artifacts." She glanced over to the building that the crash originated from. "That makes the third crash this hour." Rei couldn't help but let out another sigh as she turned back to her friends. "Come on, lets head inside, those two will be busy in there for easily another hour." As if to reinforce her claim, another loud crash came from the storage building. The five girls walked towards the house, led by a now pouting Rei.

The group entered the main room to find a frustrated Luna sitting on the table in the center of the room, fuming about something, while Artemis did his best impression of a chameleon trying to blend in to the wall. His small computer offered the only protection between him and his currently angry companion. His expression turned to tearful thanks when he saw the girls walk in.

"Oh girls, thank goodness you're here finally! If these two were left to their argument much longer, this room would have become a warzone, covered in fur and fea-" the white moon cat quickly shut his mouth as Luna shot him a very sharp glare.

"Honestly! Do give me some credit, Artemis. I have way more control then that, and am certainly able to hold out on becoming aggressive over such trivial matters," Luna proclaimed as she shot her head up with her eyes closed, a smug look gracing her feline face.

"Please, if you were as good at controlling your aggression as you say, then perhaps you'd find yourself in a relationship with your crush already. Face it, you're worse than Miss Usagi when it comes to hiding your emotions." Luna's calm facade shattered at that remark, a huge blush and angry eyes dominating her features.

All feline and human eyes turned to face the outside, as a rather large avian form dropped down from the roof. The orange-red hawk settled on the ground and turned to face its viewers, its abnormally expressive grey-brown eyes wincing as they saw Usagi. "My apologies, Princess. I did not mean to insult your personality."

The twin-tailed blonde quickly replied dismissively, waving her hand back and forth. "It's alright, Chizuko. No harm done." Usagi couldn't have been upset at the comment even if she wanted to be. Seeing Luna's usually calm and strict demeanor completely broken gave her butterflies in her stomach. The future Moon Queen smiled as she looked at the one who was responsible for this feat.

The red-tailed hawk of the Sun, Chizuko, was the only being capable of easily getting under Luna's skin. Fur and pride included. The avian adviser to the previous Senshi of the Sun, Angwynn, was found frozen in time by Ranma and Akane while they explored Angwynn's ancient solar space station. From her account, Chizuko was apparently tricked by Angwynn and placed in a seemingly permanent stasis before Ranma's predecessor left to sacrifice herself against the Dark Kingdom's invading forces.

Once she was freed from her prison, Chizuko continued where she left off, acting as Sailor Sun's adviser, in the same way Luna and Artemis acted as the Queen's. However, unlike the two moon cats, Chizuko's memories from the Silver Millennium remained nearly completely intact. While she was able to help the Senshi and cats with most historical facts about the past, they could tell that the solar hawk was harboring many secrets. Compared to Luna and Artemis, she was much more austere, solemnly showing any form of humor.

Initially, her entire being was a mystery to them. Not even Artemis, with his more intact memories of the Silver Millennium remembered much of anything about her. Ranma himself, as the supposed reincarnation of Angwynn, only had foggy 'memories' of the bird, belonging to his predecessor. He insisted that Chizuko could be trusted completely though, even if she acted coldly towards the group. Her vast knowledge of the Silver Millennium, and strangely adept expertise in combat practices made her a valuable member of the team when she was willing to be part of it.

After the first few months of her reintroduction into society, Chizuko began to warm up to the team. While she still had a rigid demeanor to her, she lightened up considerably around the Senshi and especially the moon cats. It wasn't long before they discovered that the hawk had a very cheeky yet prideful undertone to her mindset. A mindset that happened to rival Luna's own. The two female advisers very quickly found themselves butting heads with each other, especially over matters regarding the Senshi's training and prowess.

Eventually, Chizuko realized how easy it was to tease Luna, and she transitioned from seriously arguing with the black moon cat, to playfully teasing her. While most of these quips were all fun and games to the bird, Luna was often not so understanding. More often then not, their "arguments" would end with Luna shutting down, degrading into a state of stubborn defenses, a stark contrast to her normal tactical and cool self. Chizuko eventually realized her teasings were causing more harm for the team than good, so she opted to cease teasing Luna quite as much, only messing with the moon cat when she felt she truly deserved it.

Now apparently seemed to be one of those times, as Rei and the others took stock of the obvious mental stress Luna was currently exhibiting.

"My apologies, Luna. I did not mean to make such a personal jab." The orange-red hawk bowed her head to her feline counterpart. At the sign of Luna regaining her composure, Chizuko decided to change the subject.

She turned to Usagi and asked, "Excuse me, Princess, but could you tell me where Ranma and Akane are? I was under the impression that they would be arriving with you." The bird angled her head in a show of question.

Before Usagi could respond to the question, Rei stepped forward. "Oh please, Chizuko, stop with the 'Princess' thing. It will only go to her meatball head." As she expected, Rei was delighted to see Usagi react the way she normally did: puffing up her face and looking about ready to release the hounds, if the hounds were made of tears. Rei couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty for teasing her friend though, so she decided to continue before Usagi could get the chance to really start crying.

"Apparently, Ranma and Akane went to Nerima immediately after school, to meet with friends and family." Rei noticed that her plan had worked. Usagi's tears were subdued as she joined Luna in the grumpy girl's corner.

Chizuko didn't miss Rei's insult to Usagi, and remarked internally how similar she and the Senshi of Mars were. "I see," she glanced over towards Luna, "Well perhaps I should go and find them. I figure my being here may not be the best choice anymore."

As the hawk prepared to depart, she was interrupted by Artemis' call. "Wait, Chizuko! You should stay. After all, you and Luna are the ones who came up with this current training regiment for the girls."

A smile appeared on the white cat's face as he looked over at Luna. "Both you and Luna have been working hard on this plan, it's only right that the two of you are here to discuss it. Right, Luna?"

The cat in question couldn't help but drop her cold facade. She sighed, "Yes, yes. I suppose you're right, Artemis. Very well, Chizuko, apology accepted." She looked at Chizuko and allowed a small smile to creep onto her face. Chizuko also smiled back, an impressive feat for a beaked animal to accomplish.

With apologies and forgiveness between the advisers dealt with, the five Senshi smiled and took their seats around the table. As Usagi sat down, she looked over to Rei, who quickly mouthed, "I'm sorry," to the blonde. Usagi's smile grew three sizes, and she nodded to the raven-haired miko her forgiveness.

Artemis cleared his throat, "Alright, let's get this meeting under way." He indicated towards Chizuko and Luna, "Ladies, if you would like to begin."

* * *

The twin arcs of the colossal obsidian portal ring hummed and crackled with massive amounts of magical energy. It was almost a wonder that the pure force of the magic did not tear apart the structure right then and there. However, the portal ring remained, gathering the energy it needed to force open a rift in space-time. Near the structure itself, a group of inhuman beings worked at a console, monitoring and discussing the status of the portal device.

In front of the massive object, an even larger force of beings stood in formation. These beings varied in appearance. Some were clothed in only basic uniform, while others stood poised, covered in armor. While a large amount carried visible weapons, others had no such need for external weapons, their sharp claws and teeth, and rippling muscled bodies able to do for them what any weapon could do for another. Even though the beings differed, they all shared one common feature: their demonic, yet feminine appearance. The large battalion of youma awaited with bated breath, their formation not faltering even under the intense heat of the realm's twin suns in mid day.

"Troops at attention!" a heavy voice called out. Immediately, all the youma straightened themselves in a show of discipline. An incredibly large being marched into the middle of the formation, dwarfing most of the youma she passed by. Her sharp, turquoise eyes judged each troop silently.

Tekokowa reached the base of the massive portal arches and turned to face her army. As she scanned over them, she nodded. "Listen up, Forces of the Dark Outerverse, hear me!"

She raised her hand to the air as she continued, pointing towards the twin suns. "The time of our exodus from this cursed plane approaches rapidly!" Immediately, the massive group of youma burst out into thunderous cheer. Guttural battle cries roared throughout the air, echoing despite the flat barren wasteland that surrounded the army.

"As I speak, the final preliminary tests of our great trans-spacial portal are being completed. Within moments, the portal will activate, signaling the beginning of our return to the natural realm!" Tekokowa motioned towards the massive obsidian arches behind her.

As the great cheer from her subjects continued, a proud smile grew on her granite-colored face. "This initial portal will be small, but do not fret. This shall merely be the first journey in a great exodus! Lands must be tested and scouted before they can be conquered, but conquered they shall be!"

If anyone had thought that the army's massive applause could not get any greater, they would have found themselves sorely mistaken at that moment. The air itself rumbled from the massive cheers and battle cries. Eventually, Tekokowa raised her arm, her fist positioned next to her head. In response, the massive cheer immediately ceased, only quiet murmuring remaining.

"I understand your feelings, all of you. For we are one and the same, a dying breed of warriors." A strangely solemn look appeared on the great warrior's face. "We were created as mere pawns. We were BUILT to serve. To serve a group of so-called scions of Chaos, and serve them and their false queen, we did. Even after the self proclaimed Chaos Queen fell, we still found ourselves imprisoned and forced to fight for her remaining servant. He promised us even more than the master before him, and foolishly, we allowed ourselves to be his weapons."

Tekokowa looked downwards, her eyes scanning the dirt and rocks before her. "Many of us were destroyed in his foolish escapade for power. Not surprisingly, he too met his fate at the hands of the same beings who killed his queen." The massive warrior returned to her stalwart position.

"The beings who killed him, Jadeite, who also killed Beryl before him," Tekokowa stared directly ahead, her eyes losing focus as if seeing something that was not quite there. Her lips moved into a pouting position, not quite a frown, but not quite a scowl either. After a brief pause of silence, she seemed to catch herself, and she quickly regained her steely composure.

She continued to address the mass in front of her, "Those beings are not our allies. They exist to hunt us down, to destroy us indiscriminately. They exist solely to impede our right. No, our destiny!"

Tekokowa once again paused to assess her troops. They all maintained a solid composure, not betraying any of their emotions. The great warrior tensed up suddenly, scowling and drawing her fist in front of her. She proclaimed in a mighty roar, "Do not be fooled! The so-called Guardian Senshi of Earth are our enemies and we will destroy them should they oppose us!"

The air was once again filled with the great cheers of thousands of youma. Profanities and threats against the Senshi could be heard over the overall crescendo of roars. Tekokowa allowed the rabble to persist for some time, a neutral expression on her face. _Let them revel in their emotions_, she thought. _It will do them well for the future, when they will need every fiber of their primal strength to overcome their foes._ After a few minutes, she once again raised her arm in an order for silence, and silence she received.

"The Senshi are indeed formidable. They have not only destroyed hundreds of our kin, but have also persevered through many deadly challenges they have faced." Tekokowa's mind drifted to the image of the Senshi who haunted her the most. The petite, yet incredibly fierce red-head, whose unparalleled raw magical power and martial skill had decimated countless numbers of Tekokowa's kind. And yet, the youma warrior secretly desired to come face-to-face with the human incinerator. A look of great concentration appeared on her face. _Sailor Sun_, she thought. _Soon we shall have our rematch. I hope you look forward to it as much as I do._

Tekokowa left her thoughts, and addressed her gathered audience, "As formidable as they may be, however, WE are stronger. Without the interference of petty humans holding us back, we are unstoppable!"

She took a moment to peer up to the grand citadel that stood behind the massive army. Her eyes focused on one of the balconies near the top of the great spire. Sure enough, she caught sight of her target. A silhouetted figure stood alone, cloaked in robes made of an unknown cloth. While the distance was too great to make out the face of the being, it was obvious that the figure was watching and listening to the proceedings intently. Tekokowa turned around to face the large portal device, her back facing her army.

"We no longer have to worry about pleasing some weak human overlord, whose only goal is to themselves. No, now we have a much greater leader." The gargantuan juggernaut turned back towards the crowd, an unreadable expression on her face.

"A leader who understands us as well as we understand ourselves. A leader who is not only unafraid to fight on the battlefield, but has also experienced the great natural realm first-hand. A leader who has faced our dreaded enemies, the Senshi, and survived to return to us. A leader who has great knowledge of our enemies." Tekokowa's expression changed to one of unrelenting pride.

"Our great Mistress shall deliver us where no ruler has been able to before. Her great will shall be the blade that carves our path to victory!" Her eyes fell upon the grand mass of youma before her.

"And we shall be the great arm that thrusts that blade through the bones of our enemies! We shall be the ones who at the end, shall stand together, at our rightful place of power. We will be the shadow that devours the dying light of the human race. Our darkness will blot out all who stand against us, and cover the Earth with everlasting night. So join me, sisters! Our glorious time shall come soon. We shall not falter again. We will overcome anything and everything in our way!" Tekokowa drew herself up to the highest she could go, her calm emotion breaking away to be replaced by pure pride, as she addressed the awaiting masses in front of her.

"FOR WE ARE TENEBRUM!"

The horde of youma erupted into screams, roars, cries, and cheers so loud, it felt as if the ground itself was quaking in acknowledgment of their jubilation. Order made way for constructed chaos as the clamor continued. No order, even from Tekokowa could quell the great cheer from the masses. Instead, Tekokowa looked up once again to the figure standing atop the obsidian citadel. She thought she could vaguely make out a smile on the shrouded face before the cloaked being turned and walked into the structure, disappearing among the shadows. Tekokowa's prideful smile left her face. Instead, a look of questioning displeasure took its spot.

The massive arches of the portal device behind her suddenly emitted a thunderous blast, overbearing and silencing the cries of the army. The magical energy which crackled around the obsidian structure pulsed towards the center of the device and concentrated there. A luminous pale-blue light exploded from the singularity, blinding all those looking at it. Tekokowa's form was reduced to a silhouette, only the strongest features of her body were still visible to observers. Suddenly, just as quickly as the event occurred, it ended. The great light subsided, and the thunderous noise was reduced to a stable, low humming. Tekokowa looked behind her to see that within the center of the arches, now existed a small circular vortex. A trans-spacial portal had come into existence. A quick gaze to the tech crew stationed behind the portal console was acknowledged with a nod, and Tekokowa returned her attention to the army.

"This is it, sisters! The first portal has finally been opened." She regained her stoic posture. "Forward Shock Troop, at attention!"

The massive army immediately shuffled around, and a smaller group quickly separated themselves from the crowd. They condensed among themselves, each member wearing a matching set of armor. While their attire was similar, their bodies were not. None the less, they approached their commanding officer and upon reaching her, organized themselves into a sorted formation. They numbered eight, and the stark difference between their forms was pleasantly accentuated by their arrangement. They all stood at attention, awaiting their leader's orders.

Tekokowa gazed upon the assembled shock troopers. She was pleased by their quick and concise reply to her call. "You eight shall be the first to enter the natural realm after this long time. You shall be our eyes and ears to how the it has changed." She paced between each member of the squad, assessing each one closely.

"You all know your objectives. Discover what has changed in Tokyo. Find the Senshi. Test their strength, but return alive. Your knowledge is more important than any injury to the Senshi. At least, for now." Tekokowa returned to her previous position, standing in front of the assembled squad. She indicated towards the portal. "Now go! Go and be the key to our victory! Do not fail us!"

The eight shock troopers immediately departed towards the portal, leaving Tekokowa standing behind them. She gazed upon their backs longingly. As the last member passed the threshold of the portal and disappeared from sight, a solemn look appeared on Tekokowa's face, betraying her emotion to anyone who saw her. Fortunately, no one did. _I pray I do not fail you._

* * *

Author's Notes:  
Chizuko is another OC from 'Sailor Ranko' that I really wanted to expand upon. With the unfortunate hiatus of the series, her back story was never really explored. That actually gives me a lot of potential to work with. Expect to see a bunch more of the Solar Hawk. I definitely plan to do some in depth character development with her either in Volume One, or in a side-story after its conclusion.

As for chapter three: I'll probably get around to uploading it sometime this weekend. I'm still working on future chapters, and want to buffer chapter uploads so that you all aren't sitting here waiting for weeks for a new chapter. Hopefully that plan works out. Either way, the first big action scene is coming soon, and I hope you'll enjoy it!


	4. Chapter Three: First Contact

Soluna – Volume One

Chapter Three: First Contact

By Saarth'ir

Based on the "Sailor Ranko" series, started by Duncan Zillman, and continued by Kevin D. Hammel, Arthur Hansen, and Rebecca Heineman. "Sailor Ranko is, in turn based on the series "Sailor Moon" by Naoko Takeuchi and "Ranma 1/2" by Rumiko Takahashi. Therefore, many of these characters are owned and copyrighted by their respective owners. So, with that out of the way, enjoy!

* * *

The train came to a halt at the Furinkan-cho station. Ranma and Akane quickly grabbed their bags and departed the station. They immediately broke into a jog in the direction of Ukyo's restaurant. The warm, clean air of Nerima provided a unique comfort for the pair which the city air of the Minato ward could not compete with.

"It's nice to be back. Even with all the craziness that happens here, I still love this place," Akane said suddenly, breaking the silence between the two. A serene smile permeated her features.

Ranma turned to look at his wife, his blue eyes shining in the sun. "Yeah, I really like it here too, but I gotta say, Akane; after all we've been through in Juuban, ol' Nerima's gotta step it up if it wants to take its spot back as insanity central."

Akane stared at him for a second. "Don't tell me you actually want something to happen," she exclaimed. At her husband's denial, her serene smile shifted to a defiant one. "Good, because I was honestly hoping for a quiet night at home. Nothing more."

As they continued their journey, it seemed that fate was in Akane's favor today. The couple turned a corner, and the red curtain sign of Okonomiyaki Ucchan's greeted them. The street itself was rather sparse of traffic. A small group of people were exiting another restaurant down the road, but aside from that, only the couple and the buildings themselves occupied the street.

The two arrived at the restaurant and opened the door to enter. There were a couple parties of customers scattered throughout the small building. While most inhabited the booths at the side of the restaurant, three people sat at the counter top which was part of the main grill. Behind the grill, the young chef and owner casually prepared some of her famous okonomiyaki, clad in her signature blue chef's garb. While definitely female, and quite beautiful at that, the chef had a strange aura of masculinity to her. Her brown hair was pulled back in an androgynous tail.

The young girl looked up to see the new entrants to her store, and her pale-blue eyes shone with happiness. Ukyo gave Ranma and Akane a jubilant smile and nodded to them. The couple nodded back, also smiling.

Another employee of the restaurant approached the two. The waitress was dressed in an elegant kimono, and had a strong, yet graceful application of makeup applied to their face. To anyone out of the circle who viewed this waitress, they would most likely immediately assume the waitress to be female. And while, previously, Ranma and Akane would instantly know the opposite to be true, these days, both parties had an equal chance of actually being correct.

The waitress smiled and bowed to the couple, "Welcome Ranma and Akane." To the untrained ear, the voice certainly sounded female, but for the married couple, it actually cemented the fact that Konatsu was currently male. At least physically.

The two smiled back at the talented male kunoichi waitress. Akane chose to answer on behalf of the couple, "It's good to see you, Konatsu. Could we get a table for two please?"

"Of course," Konatsu walked over to a nearby podium and grabbed two menus before gesturing to Ranma and Akane, "Please follow me." The pair followed Konatsu to a booth in the back corner of the restaurant. The booth was typically reserved for them or their friends, as it offered the most privacy for discussing personal or Senshi related topics.

Ranma and Akane took their seats, and after quickly scouting the menu, gave their orders to Konatsu, who took their menus and orders and departed. Akane decided to splurge a little and ordered the deluxe combination. Ranma on the other hand decided to go with his usual, the shrimp and squid. The two settled in and discussed various subjects of their lives.

Konatsu eventually returned with the couple's drinks and placed them down. "I'm guessing you're here to talk about-" He had to stop for a second to think. "business. Am I right?"

"Well, yes and no. We do want to talk about it, but we also just wanted to visit the two of you." Akane said as she smiled at their waitress.

Konatsu smiled back. "Well, I'd love to talk, but as the only server, I'm afraid I simply don't have the time. However, I'll let Miss Ukyo know you wish to speak to her. Your orders should be ready soon." With that, the kunoichi dismissed himself and walked over to Ukyo behind the grill. After he gave her their message, and at her nod, Konatsu returned to serve the other customers.

Ukyo smiled at being invited to join the couple to chat. Especially considering that it was specifically Akane who made the request. While she continued cooking, the chef let her mind wander to the past. The fact that the two girls had become such great friends truly surprised her when she thought about it.

Going back a year, one would never have thought the two could become so close. Both girls used to be rivals for the same thing, Ranma's love. While they were both very similar, their desires for the same man had never allowed them to find those similarities within each other and become friends.

Truth be told, Ukyo had always felt a connection to Akane, even when the two would butt heads. She remembered guiltily the numerous times she sought to harm the Tendo girl. She had wanted Ranma to herself more than anything else in the world, and was initially devastated when he had chosen Akane over her. By the time Ranma had come to her with his decision, she knew that it was coming. However, the announcement itself had sent her over the edge, and in her blind grief and rage, she nearly lost the friendship of the man she had loved.

Eventually, Ukyo realized there was more to life than marrying Ranma, and with a little help, was able to come to terms with that. She fully accepted that, while she had lost the quest for his love, she could gain something much more important: his and Akane's friendship. Ukyo found that once she convinced herself of that, her life lightened up significantly. Her relationship with Akane was able to progress from rival to friend, but it didn't stop there. Her life was also saved by Akane. Well, all of the Senshi chipped in, but in particular, the knowledge that Akane had willingly risked herself to save Ukyo had forged a deep connection between the two that was stronger than ever.

Deep down, she knew that she still cared very much for Ranma. Part of her still wanted to call him her kin. However, she truly felt like she no longer needed to be his fiancee or wife, and that just being able to smile and laugh with him was enough. She cherished the direction her life had taken because of him. Without him, she would never have met true friends. She would never have opened her shop and become a successful businesswoman at her age. She would never have become a... A deep smile formed on her lips. _I would never have become a Senshi to be able fight alongside him._

As the okonomiyaki she was cooking reached completion, Ukyo was brought back to the present. She quickly placed the orders onto their plates, and signaled for Konatsu to deliver them to the customers. Ukyo grabbed the two plates with Ranma and Akane's orders, politely dismissed herself from the customers eating at the counter, and made her way to the couple's table with their meals.

"Heya, you two! I'm really glad you stopped by," Ukyo called out as she placed the plates down in front of them. "Here you are, one deluxe, and one shrimp and squid." She smiled before pulling up a chair and joining them.

"Thanks, Ucchan! I really missed your cookin'," Ranma exclaimed as he shoved his meal into his mouth. He stopped chewing for a second as a thought hit him. "And I missed you, o'course."

Ukyo felt very warm between the strong smile and blush that occupied her face. It was the little things in life that made her happy, and being told she was missed by Ranma was definitely one of them. Akane noticed Ukyo's face and smiled too, subconsciously pushing away the tinge of jealousy she felt. She had no reason to be jealous of Ukyo anymore, except for maybe her cooking.

"I missed you both too. It's a shame we don't get to see each other more often." Ukyo looked solemn, resting her chin on her fist. "I know Konatsu would also like to visit you guys more often, but business is business." She quickly cheered up.

"So, what brings the two of you here?" Ukyo asked curiously.

Akane put her chopsticks down to answer her friend, "We were invited up here by Kasumi and mother. We figured we'd stop by and check in on you and Konatsu on our way there."

"I also wanted to know if ya got anythin' new to show us," Ranma interjected with a child-like grin on his face, "Do ya?"

Ukyo replied with a sly grin of her own, "Maybe, maybe not," she shrugged tauntingly. "I suppose you'll just have to wait and find out, huh?"

Ranma looked dejected, but quickly cheered up. It certainly sounded like a resounding 'Yes' to him. He was about to pressure her when he was suddenly interrupted by Akane's wristband beeping. After about a second, something from his pocket began beeping as well. The two looked at each other before looking to Ukyo, who was glancing towards where her room was located on the second floor. Konatsu had also stopped and was staring at the group of them.

The three at the table stared at each other for another couple of moments, before Akane nodded, got up from her seat, and walked into the nearby restroom. Ranma reached into his pocket and silenced his communicator. He would find out from Akane what the message was about.

After she locked the restroom door to make sure she wasn't disturbed, Akane opened up her wristband communicator watch and hit the answer button. An image of a very distraught Artemis appeared on the small screen.

"Io here. What's up?" The raven-haired girl announced quickly.

Artemis focused in on her. "Oh, Io, thank goodness you answered. I was worried you and Sun weren't going to answer for a bit there. Where are you?" He seemed relieved, but still very stressed about something.

Akane responded quickly, anxiety growing very rapidly, "Sun and I are at, uh, Ucchan's." She couldn't wait any longer, if Artemis was livened up this much, something had to be wrong. "Is there something going on? I can relay whatever it is to the others."

Artemis took a second to concentrate and calm himself before responding, "We've detected a spacial anomaly located in downtown Juuban," The cat's eyes bugged out. "Mercury informed us that the signature matches that of the portals which Jadeite's forces used to attack Tokyo a year ago!"

Akane gasped. While she hadn't held the identity of Sailor Io during the time Jadeite declared war on Tokyo, she knew very personally the horrors of his forces, and what they were capable of. She had at first been a victim of their onslaught of draining human life energy, but later became a warrior who joined in on the attack against Jadeite's citadel herself. She, along with the other Senshi had long since thought Jadeite and his forces defeated. The thought of one of their portals opening again made her shudder with fear.

She regained her composure and addressed Artemis, "Where in Juuban is the portal? Send me the location."

On the other side of the communication, Artemis nodded and pressed some keys on his computer. His image on Akane's screen shifted to the side and a window that displayed a map of Juuban appeared.

"That's where the signature was discovered. The others have already transformed and left." Artemis expression took a stalwart look. "Get Sun and the others if you can and head there now. We have no idea what exactly to expect, so we need everyone there ASAP!"

Akane nodded, "Got it, we'll be there as quick as we can. Io out."

She shut her communicator and quickly calmed herself before opening the door and heading back to the table. Both Ranma and Ukyo were still at the table, watching her, as was Konatsu, who was standing nearby. Akane calmly sat down and motioned for them to lean in. They did, and Konatsu walked closer so he could be in earshot.

Akane took a deep breath, "That was Artemis. He just told me that they discovered something that popped up in downtown Juuban." She paused and looked Ranma in the eye. "Apparently, Mercury said the signature matched that of Jadeite's portals."

Ranma's jaw dropped. He didn't want to believe it. No, he couldn't believe it. He didn't want to relive the nightmare of that place ever again. He looked into his wife's eyes, begging to be told it was a joke, but she merely sighed.

"We don't know for sure if it is a portal, but we need to go and find out. The others are already on their way," She said.

Ukyo interjected, "Um, what or who is Jadeite?" She asked.

Akane looked at her friend. "Jadeite was the one who led the youma assault against Juuban last year. The one that started when Ranma and I initially moved to Juuban." She paused, a blank look in her eyes as repressed memories resurfaced.

"Oh," was all Ukyo could say. While she had never directly been involved with the attack on Juuban the previous year, she had learned intently about it. She had found out what had happened to both Ranma and Akane during their initial journey to Juuban, and how it had solidified their relationship after nearly killing them. She didn't need to know anymore.

"This sounds important. You two go on ahead. Don't worry about paying for your meals." Ukyo's face took on a serious tone. "I'll close up the shop as soon as I can and Konatsu and I will head over there when we can, but you two need to go now."

Akane nodded to Ukyo and got up quickly. Ranma was still in a daze, but after being prodded by his wife, he nodded as well and the two left the restaurant. They quickly ran around a corner into a secluded alley, but not before double checking that no one was within hearing distance of them. Ranma and Akane pulled their transformation wands from their subspace pockets and nodded to each other.

Ranma raised his wand and called out, "Sun Star Power!" He hesitated for a second. He still felt uncomfortable with the next part of the incantation. "...Make up." After a quick spray of cold mist and a dazzling fire show, Sailor Sun stood in his place. Her unbound red hair and signature red and yellow uniform bellowed in the wind from the magical pyrotechnic display.

Akane quickly followed suit, calling out her own incantation of, "Io Lumina Power! Make up!". She too was consumed by an onslaught of molten fire and earth before breaking free in the form of Sailor Io. She quickly checked her yellow and blue uniform.

"One Senshi, ready and waiting for transport!" Io announced, teasing her now female husband.

Sun looked at her disappointingly and sighed, "Yeah, yeah. One 'Sun Beam Transport' comin' up."

Io quickly told Sun where they needed to go, and after placing her hand on the red-head's shoulder, the two flashed out.

* * *

Toshi and Yumiko were walking by the street in a more remote part of Juuban. The two were very happy. Toshi remarked to himself how well his date had gone, and was enjoying the walk back to Yumiko's home. He looked at his date, smiling and saw that she was staring at something in the distance. Toshi turned to look for what she was seeing and found it immediately.

In a nearby clearing, amid some trees, there was suddenly a flash, somewhat like lightning. The flash repeated a couple times before an even larger flash and thunder-like boom echoed. The nearby couple both shuddered from the sudden shockwave. They stopped and looked at the clearing. In the center of it now stood some sort of vortex. It appeared almost flat from the side, but looked almost like a tunnel from the front. The two stared at it unblinkingly, not quite sure what to do. They weren't the only ones. Numerous pedestrians going about their daily lives stopped and stared at the strange anomaly.

Suddenly, a figure leaped out from the object, immediately followed by seven other beings. It took a couple seconds for the spectators to realize what these were. If someone chose to live in Juuban, they quickly gained familiarity with youma. While many inhabitants of the city would never see one personally, the stories and descriptions spread like wildfire. These beings definitely fit those descriptions.

Panic broke out, and nearly all of the people who stared unmovingly quickly darted away from the clearing, trying to find shelter. Toshi grabbed Yumiko's arm and ran as fast as he could, Yumiko following suit. Toshi cursed to himself, _And the date had been going so well too!_

The eight youma who exited the portal quickly gathered in formation surrounding the anomaly. They took stock of their surroundings, trying to make heads or tails of where in Tokyo they had arrived. The leader of the shock troopers turned to face the rest of her squad, her short magenta hair swinging around her horned head.

"Alright, here we are, squad," she addressed them, her yellow eyes gazing adamantly. "Remember our objective. We are to gather data about this area as well as the Senshi." She looked around, watching the rooftops specifically. "No doubt they are already on their way. Enter battle formation," she barked, "Nokras, Getada; ready the Data Siphon crystal!"

The remaining seven members saluted quickly before five of them scrambled into a tight-knit formation. Two of them quickly knelt down and rummaged through their bags before pulling out a set of identical palm-sized crystals. The two youma's hands began glowing and the light shifted into each crystal. As the crystals started glowing, they suddenly shot up in the air and dispersed themselves around the area. Some remained nearby, while others traveled further distances.

"Data Siphon crystals deployed," one of the two declared as they rejoined the formation.

Their leader nodded, "Excellent." Her eyes narrowed. "Prepare yourselves, squad. They approach!" In response, the formation tightened. The eight waited and watched intently for their foes to appear. They would not have to wait long.

* * *

Author's Notes:  
Battle will be joined next chapter. Said chapter should be out by next weekend if not earlier.


	5. Chapter Four: Let Battle Be Joined

Soluna – Volume One

Chapter Four: Let Battle Be Joined

By Saarth'ir

Based on the "Sailor Ranko" series, started by Duncan Zillman, and continued by Kevin D. Hammel, Arthur Hansen, and Rebecca Heineman. "Sailor Ranko is, in turn based on the series "Sailor Moon" by Naoko Takeuchi and "Ranma 1/2" by Rumiko Takahashi. Therefore, many of these characters are owned and copyrighted by their respective owners. So, with that out of the way, enjoy!

* * *

Moon and the other Inner Senshi leaped from rooftop to rooftop as fast as they could. The sudden alarm of a spacial anomaly appearing in the middle of Juuban had put the girls on immediate high-alert. It had been months since anything so out of the ordinary had occurred. The girls were glad they stuck to Luna and Chizuko's training regiments. While they weren't quite as fast as Sun or Io when it came to roof hopping, they were certainly faster then they would have been if they had slacked over the months.

"It's just another couple of blocks ahead. Get ready girls," Mercury exclaimed as she watched the map through the Mercury Computer's visor. She checked the readings from the anomaly. "It looks like something has exited from it." Her face grew grim. "I'd say this confirms it's a portal, I'm detecting around ten entities near it."

The other Senshi didn't bother looking back at Mercury. Hard concentration plastered on all their faces, they mentally prepared themselves for what seemed like a certain battle. Their first real battle in months. They hopped one final roof to another building which surrounded the clearing ahead and stopped.

"No way," Mars gasped. Below them, a definite portal stood. It was surrounded by what appeared to be eight...

"Youma," Jupiter stated dully.

The girls all shuddered. Youma had not been seen since the Senshi defeated Jaedite in his own dimension. But lo, and behold, below them were youma in the flesh. Or whatever else they had instead of flesh.

It wasn't long before one of the youma caught eye of the Senshi on the rooftop above and called out to its allies. Immediately, all eight sets of eyes turned to face them, and the bodies which held those eyes quickly maneuvered into what appeared to be a defensive formation.

"Structured formation?" Mercury questioned. "It's not like youma to have such discipline. They're usually nothing more then brutes." She began scanning the squad. "We should be careful, girls. These youma seem very different from the ones we're used to fighting."

Venus struck a defiant pose. "Structured or not, they're still youma. We've been beating their butts for years now," she exclaimed.

One of the youma in the formation stepped towards the Senshi. "Senshi," she announced, "Come down and face us. We shall show you the new found strength of the Tenebrum!" She smiled a menacing grin, filled with sharp fangs.

In response, Moon took a step forward, approaching the edge of the roof they stood upon. She brandished her Moon Rod and took her signature pose. "How dare you attack the innocent! Spreading terror into the hearts of those who have no ill will! It's unforgivable! As a sailor-suited pretty soldier of love and justice: Sailor Moon! I cannot allow it! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!" Her speech ended with Moon pointing the Moon Rod at the seemingly lead youma.

The youma merely extended her smile, making her all the more sinister. "By all means, great Moon Queen," she placed extra emphasis on 'Queen'. "Come on down here and punish us." The youma taunted Sailor Moon.

Moon gasped. _How does she know about the Moon Queen?_ she thought to herself. Neither the youma, nor their masters had ever previously discovered Moon's alter ego. This was certainly troublesome. She hoped her and her allies civilian identities were still safe.

The lead youma let her smile drop. She raised her arm and dark energy began gathering in her palm. Before the Senshi could react, the youma unleashed a blast of dark magic directly at them. They only had a split second to evade, and in their panicked reaction, the five magical girls ended up diving in different directions. As they fell to the ground, they heard the youma leader call out, "Shock troopers, Secluded Gauntlet formation!"

Jupiter was the first to land. Her martial arts reflexes allowed her to react first to the incoming attack, and as such, she was able to plan out her evasion. She landed on her feet at the base of the building they had been perched on, near the corner of an intersection. As she regained her footing, she barely noticed the large fist that was about to smash into her, and was able to roll away from the attack.

She took stock of her opponent. The youma was large. At least two and a half meters tall, and built like she was made of granite. From the top of her head protruded a coronet of spikes. Her most distinguishing feature was the pair of extremely bulky forearms she possessed, with massive fists to match.

The youma smiled fiercely at her foe. "Greetings, Senshi of Jupiter. I shall be your opponent. I hope you're ready to be crushed!"

Jupiter smirked back at the youma. "Right back at'cha big girl," she teased, and then lunged directly at her opponent.

Meanwhile, Mars hit the ground and rolled nearby. After leaping off the roof to avoid the initial attack, she was quickly attacked by another youma. The youma had launched an orb of dark energy, which impacted Mars in the chest, causing her to get launched nearby. Mars rolled to absorb some of the impact. She quickly managed to get a hold of herself and ready herself for the next attack.

It came quickly. The youma hurled itself at Mars. She quickly jumped to the left and managed to avoid the charge, which was no easy task. While much smaller than the behemoth Jupiter was fighting, what the youma lacked in size she made up in speed. Aside from her deep red skin and clawed hands, she appeared very similar to a human.

Mars quickly regained her footing, and turned to face her opponent. She raised her hands in front of her and cast her incantation, "Burning Mandala!". Mars launched an array of flaming orbs at the youma, but before any of them could impact, she had dodged away. The youma quickly gathered another blast of dark energy which she tossed at Mars, who managed to avoid it. _Damnit!_ Mars thought, _She's too fast for my attacks to hit. _The winded fire Senshi leaped back from her opponent to reassess her strategy.

Nearby, Venus was fighting her own youma one-on-one. Her opponent was relatively humanoid, her silver-white skin contrasting the black uniform she wore. She wielded a large club, which she attempted to crush the Senshi of Love with. Venus managed to dodge away from the swing. _She seems to be quite attached to that club, s_he thought, _If I can get it away from her, this should be_ _a piece of pie!_

Venus raised her arm up and shouted, "Venus Love-Me Chain!". Her ethereal chain formed around her wrist. She thrust her arm forward, launching the chain towards the youma's club. "Encircle!" she called out. As the chain approached the youma, she quickly raised her club and smashed down on the approaching chain, shattering it, before smirking knowingly at Venus.

Venus stopped and blinked. "Well, that didn't work," she sighed, before launching into a new attack.

By some stroke of luck, Moon and Mercury had both dodged away from the initial blast in the same direction, and thus ended up next to each other when they landed. Unfortunately for them, they found themselves surrounded by four youma. The four looked at their two opponents with prideful glares, ready to strike at any moment.

Moon brandished her Moon Rod, but whimpered. This is not how she wanted her day to go, surrounded by angry youma who wanted to kill her. She was comforted by Mercury who put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll be okay. Follow my lead," Mercury informed her leader. Moon noticeably relaxed and nodded to her friend.

The youma slowly rotated around their prey, waiting patiently for an opening to attack. Finally, one of them lunged towards the two trapped Senshi, and the other three followed suit.

Mercury immediately raised her arms to her sides and shouted, "Shabon Spray!". Mist erupted from her open palms, quickly engulfing the immediate area in a thick fog. As the youma converged at the point where the Senshi were, they found the spot empty.

Immediately after casting her spell, Mercury grabbed Moon's hand and lunged away from the spot they were at. While they passed right by one of the charging youma, the youma could not see them due to the magical nature of the fog. However, the youma were completely visible to the two Senshi. Moon and Mercury turned to face the now grouped up youma and readied their attacks.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury launched a blast of freezing water towards the group. It impacted the closest youma and splashed over the others. Wherever the water had hit, large amounts of ice formed. The youma who took the blunt of the attack was nearly completely frozen, while the others were inhibited by the patches of ice all over their skin.

Moon took this opportunity to ready her own attack. It was slow, but with her targets frozen, it would be very hard for them to evade it. She raised her rod and called out, "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!". A pink, heart-shaped beam surrounded by a spiral of energy launched from the rod towards her targets. The three youma who were not completely frozen noticed the attack and quickly ran. The frozen youma who remained was not so lucky. The beam impacted her, crushing her beneath a giant heart-shaped force. The youma screamed before crumbling into dust.

The fog began to subside, and the three remaining youma regained sight of the two Senshi. They noted the pile of dust which now occupied the place where their ally had stood moments ago and grew angry. Moon gulped as three sets of eyes glared at her intently.

The Shock Troop squad leader watched the battle intently from her post near the portal. In her hand she held a glowing crystal. The Data Siphon crystal array was recording the data from the battle and storing it in the crystal she held. She assessed the battle. The Secluded Gauntlet formation was working well. The plan was to isolate each Senshi against the Tenebrum who best countered each guardian's abilities.

The powers and tactics of the Inner Senshi had long ago been evaluated by Jadeite, who kept a log of his discoveries. While he never managed to uncover their civilian identities, he knew nearly everything about their combat prowess. Even after his death, his research and records remained, and Tekokowa opted to use the research to the Tenebrum's advantage.

The leader grimaced as she observed one of her allies fall to Moon's attack. While the plan was working, it had not gone perfect. Somehow, Moon and Mercury had managed to unite and thus, thwarted the Secluded Gauntlet formation. However, she knew it wasn't over yet. The three remaining combatants who fought the Senshi of the Moon and Mercury were still skilled against their opponents. With one of them killed, the three would regroup with a second wind, making it much harder for Moon to claim more kills.

Jadeite's research had stated that while Mercury was a battlefield genius, her attacks were more meant for beguiling, and had very little destructive power to them. The leader remarked that so far, this seemed to be true. On the other hand, Moon's attacks were by far the most dangerous out of all the Senshi. Her attacks purified any dark energy, and for a Tenebrum, that meant almost certain death. However, they were very slow to prepare, compared to her allies'. On her own, she would be a sitting duck, but together with Mercury's ability to slow and trick her opponents, the two made a very dangerous pair.

The youma frowned as she realized what was coming next. They knew that there were more than five Senshi. The Outer Guardians were not accounted for, but according to Jadeite's research, they rarely arrived to assist the Inners unless Moon was in serious peril. However, there was still the issue of the infamous Sailor Sun.

Sun was an enigma to the Tenebrum, as her sudden appearance had made it impossible for Jadeite to secure any conclusive data on her. All they knew was that she was a true force of nature. Her flames completely dwarfed Mars' own in terms of pure destructive power. They also knew that she was somewhat flaky when it came to battle attendance. However, the squad leader knew she would come, it was only a matter of time. There were also rumors of other, new Senshi to contest with. There was no data regarding these rumored warriors, but that was, after all, the Shock Troop's objective.

So the squad leader waited, monitoring the battle as well as the Data Siphon crystals. The crystal she held in her hand suddenly pulsed. She readied herself. The pulse meant that a being with magical energies had crossed the crystal array. Surely it was reinforcements for the Senshi.

Jupiter rolled out of the way just as the twin fists of the massive youma smashed down. The ground where she had stood only seconds ago was now shattered. She quickly leaped away from the youma to gain some distance. As soon as she landed, she crossed her arms in an 'X' shaped formation and extended her index fingers and pinkies. Jupiter concentrated as a lightning rod emerged from her tiara.

She glared at the youma as it began to collect itself after its last attack. A large amount of electricity gathered in her arms and tiara. "Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out, spreading her arms towards the youma. The collected electricity discharged from her arms and tiara, causing a bolt of lightning to launch towards the youma. It had no time to react as it was enveloped by the green lightning.

"Gotcha," Jupiter exclaimed happily. Her excitement quickly died as the youma shrugged off the shock.

The youma looked at her and smiled grimly. _Oh, you have to be kidding,_ Jupiter thought to herself. She immediately dodged out of the way as the youma charged her. After completing her dodge, she quickly set up another attack and once again launched her 'Supreme Thunder'. Again, the youma completely shrugged off the attack.

It shook its head at the green-clad Senshi. "Your little lightning show can't harm me. Your electricity is diffused by my rock body. It's useless."

Jupiter cursed to herself, _Damnit! There has to be a way for me to hurt her._ She grew thoughtful. _But if shocking her doesn't work, then what will?_ A sudden glint appeared in her eyes just as a massive fist barely missed her head. Jupiter once again leaped away from her adversary and took an offensive posture. The youma chuckled at her.

"Fool," it said, "Haven't you learned? Your electricity is harmless to me." As if to prove its point, the youma stood still, taunting Jupiter to attack it.

Jupiter ignored the youma's taunt and took her stance. Instead of repeating the same attack, she held her palm out to her side and began gathering energy into it. A small ball of lightning quickly formed in her palm, crackling wildly. Before the youma could second guess its decision, Jupiter called out, "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" and tossed the ball lightning at the youma, aiming straight for its chest.

The youma quickly reacted, crossing its massive arms across its front to protect itself. The ball of energy slammed into its forearms, exploding in a blinding light. The force of the blast caused a small crack to appear on the youma's arm, but nothing more.

The youma smiled, "A nice attempt, but nothing you do can harm-". Its defiant declaration was cut short as the youma suddenly screamed in agony and fell to its knees. A massive chunk of its back was blasted apart as a call of, "Bakusai Tenketsu!" rang out. The youma looked back to see a flash of red hair before hitting the ground and collapsing into rubble.

Sailor Sun stepped over the youma's corpse towards her ally, a smile on her face. "Nice flashbang, Jupiter! That ugly thing didn't see what was coming."

Jupiter gave a matching smile. "I guess we had the same thought. You gotta teach me that technique some time, though! It sure would have come in handy a minute ago."

The two bumped forearms in a show of greeting, a martial artist's salute. "Sure thing, I'll do my best to teach it to ya," Sun replied. With Jupiter's foe defeated, they both examined the rest of the battle.

Meanwile, Venus had long since given up on trying to disarm her opponent. The steadfast youma quickly thwarted any attempt that Venus made to steal her club from her. In response, her strategy had switched to attempting to blast the youma away with arrays of 'Crescent Beams'. Unfortunately, the youma was ready for this tactic. Despite the size of the massive club, the youma was able to effortlessly deflect each beam with it. The youma smiled to herself. At this rate, her foe would tire herself out soon, and then one final smash from her weapon would finish it.

She took another wide swing at Venus, who jumped away from the attack and readied her counterattack. Venus pointed forward and called out, "Crescent Beam!". The youma readied to deflect the shot, but was surprised when the beam completely missed her. She turned to follow the beam and watched as it impacted the ground behind her. _Surely the whelp's not tuckered out already,_ she thought to herself. She turned back to face Venus and saw a knowing smile on the blonde's face.

Suddenly, she heard her commander's voice call out, "Getada! Incoming from your left!". She barely managed to leap out of the way as a fist flew through the spot she had just inhabited. Before she could regain her wits, she heard a cry of, "Lava Blast!", and immediately found a large orb of lava rushing at her.

Getada raised her massive club to deflect the blast. The orb impacted the club, but, unlike the pinpoint energy of the 'Crescent Beam', the molten lava splashed all over her, burning cloth, armor, and flesh alike. The youma screamed out in pain and glared at the one who had hurt her so.

Sailor Io stood smirking at the injured youma. The yellow and blue clad Senshi took a combat pose and flicked her fingers tauntingly at her foe. Venus quickly arrived at Io's side and the two warriors nodded to each other approvingly.

Getada grew into a massive rage. She charged in towards the two Senshi and raised her club above her in preparation for a huge swing to crush them both. As she approached her targets, she swung down her club with all the force she could muster, anticipating the sweet sound of crunching bone. Instead, her attack came up short when Io casually grabbed the swinging club with her bare hands, a grim smile on her face.

_Impossible!_ Getada thought, _There's no way some human could stop that swing!_ With her club stuck in Io's grasp, the youma was unable to defend herself from the next attack. Venus lunged forward under the held club, and at point-blank range, pointed at the youma's chest.

"Crescent Beam!" she called out, and the beam of light immediately impacted into Getada's chest at full force. She had a fraction of a second to scream before her body collapsed into a pile of dust. Her large club fell to the ground with a resounding clank as Io let it go. The two victorious Senshi quickly took the time to flash each other bright smiles in congratulations. They then wordlessly turned towards the remaining skirmishes.

Mars was still fighting her opponent, and had made very little progress in defeating her. The unfortunate fact was that Mars' attacks were too slow to hit the speedy youma. After vaguely noticing that Sun and Io had arrived, Mars chose to switch to defensive tactics. She was sure that it was only a matter of time before reinforcements arrived to help her. Unfortunately, as hard as she tried to avoid the youma, its great speed allowed it to get a few hits in on the Guardian of the Red Planet. While she avoided any serious injuries, Mars was now sporting some gnarly gashes and bruises. She was tiring quickly, and knew it was only a matter of time before she couldn't evade the youma anymore.

Luckily for her, just when she thought she reached her limit, she saw Sun charging in towards her opponent. The youma also noticed this and quickly changed her trajectory to avoid Sun's initial attack. The flaming orb of Sun's 'Searing Plasma Blast' flew by the youma and impacted the building behind her, busting up the wall and paid no mind to the collateral damage she caused, and quickly ran into close range to engage the youma.

"You did well, Mars. I got this from here. You rest up," she told her ally casually as she began her assault.

Mars simply nodded and walked over to a nearby wall before collapsing into a sitting position against it. She grimaced as she took stock of her wounds. She glanced over to see Moon and Mercury fighting three youma, and noted that Venus, Io, and Jupiter were all heading there to reinforce her allies. Mars smiled to herself and closed her eyes. _One minute to rest. That's all. Don't you go and lose while I'm out, Meatball Head._

The speed demon youma danced around Sun, mocking her. Sun merely stood still and deflected the occasional attack the youma made against her. The youma tried to attack Sun again, swiping her large claws towards the Senshi. In response, Sun quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping the attack as well as her movement. The youma quickly tried to struggle free, and launched a kick towards Sun's head. The red-headed Senshi let go of her wrist and easily dodged the kick. With her arm free, the youma leaped away from her foe, grasping her wrist protectively.

Sun stared down the youma and grinned. "So you like to think you're pretty fast, eh?" she asked. The youma merely stared questioningly at her opponent.

The Solar Senshi looked at her hands. "I like to think I am too," she stated plainly. She looked back at the youma and reinstated her cocky grin, "Let's see who's the fastest, shall we?"

Before the youma could blink, Sun seemingly flickered out of sight before instantaneously reappearing directly in front of her. She winced in pain as a powerful jab connected with her abdomen. The youma dashed away at high speed, attempting to get some distance on Sun.

She was stopped short when Sun suddenly appeared next to her and threw a roundhouse kick, which hit the youma square in the shoulder, launching her into the ground. The youma quickly rebounded and unleashed a battle cry. She began lashing out her claws at insane speeds in an attempt to shred her foe.

Sun took a deep breath and shouted, "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!". Her arms blurred as she countered the youma's attack with an onslaught of hundreds of punches each second. While the youma's flurry of blows was certainly fast, it simply couldn't compete with the supersonic barrage of the 'Chestnut Fist'.

The youma's attack crumpled and she found herself being battered by thousands of impacts. Sun finished the flourish of blows with a massive punch, bringing her arms back into a viewable motion. The final blow connected with the youma's abdomen, and she fell backwards, crumbling into dust before even hitting the ground.

Sun looked at the pile which once was her opponent and sighed. Only minutes into the battle, and she had already killed two of them. Even after all the time she had spent as as Senshi, Sun still had reserves about killing any intelligent being. It simply went against everything she had learned throughout her life as a martial artist. She could never forgive Jadeite and his youma for the pain they had put Akane through, but deep down, she wished there was another way.

The red-head was brought out of her daydream when she suddenly remembered Mars' injuries. She quickly turned to face where the ebony-haired Senshi had scuttled off to, and gasped. Mars lay unconscious, slumped over against a nearby wall. Her fuku, while still covering her modestly; at least as modestly as their uniforms could be, was shredded up quite fiercely. The skin under her uniform was also busted up. Sun quickly ran over to mars, panic growing in her mind. She knelt down next to the wounded Guardian with worry written on her face.

"Mars! Mars, wake up," Sun exclaimed, and lightly tapped her friend's cheek. "You can't fall asleep, come on! Get up!" Tears began to form in Sun's eyes. _No, please no, _she thought to herself.

A groan came from the unconscious Senshi and her eyes slowly opened. Sun let out a deep breath and smiled, her tears dissipating quickly.

"Wake up, sleepy head," she teased.

"Dun wanna," groaned Mars. She let her eyes open more and looked into Sun's own, a smile growing on her face. "Just give me five more minutes to catch up on my beauty sleep."

Sun grinned goofily, "Sorry, no can do. Come on," she said, standing up before offering her hand to her sitting comrade, "'Sides, we should go help Moon clean up this fight."

Mars nodded and grasped Sun's hand, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. She momentarily lost her balance, but quickly regained her footing. Sun placed Mars' arm across her own shoulders to help steady the wounded warrior.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Don't want Meatball Head to have all the fun, now do we?" Mars offered her friend.

Sun nodded to her, and the two slowly walked towards the remaining combatants.

Moon and Mercury were on the defensive against the three very angry youma who wanted them dead. Their attacks were constant, never allowing Mercury to set up a fog to confuse them. She had no choice but to constantly evade their onslaught, and Moon followed suit. As Mercury dodged one of the youma's wide swings, she noticed Jupiter readying an attack behind her assailants.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out, and launched a large bolt of lightning towards the three youma who were attacking her friends. The youma were caught off guard and were not able to avoid the attack. Two of them were on the outskirts of the lightning and quickly recovered, leaping away to reassess the battle. However, their ally had taken a direct hit from the blast of lightning and was paralyzed in electrical agony.

Mercury took advantage of this and quickly cast out, "Shine Aqua Illusion!". The torrent of freezing water directly impacted the paralyzed youma and froze her solid, adding insult to injury. Moon once again followed Mercury's lead and readied her own attack.

"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" she called out, finishing her flourishing dance and launching the purifying heart-shaped beam of light at the incapacitated youma. The beam struck home and the youma immediately shattered into a pile of frozen dust.

Venus and Io, who had been observing the teamwork of their allies on their way to the battle, took notice of Sun approaching, supporting a wounded Mars. The two quickly dashed over to them.

"Oh, God! Mars, are you okay?" Venus practically screamed out. She looked horrified at all the wounds on her dear friend's body.

"Sun, is she going to be alright?" Io was deeply concerned as well. She looked her currently female husband in the eyes, longing to be reassured of Mars' fate.

"I'm fine, you two. Really," Mars blurted out before Sun could respond.

To show them, she unhooked her arm from behind Sun's shoulders and stood on her own. "Senshi speed healing is really something. Though I wouldn't mind some Saturn-brand home-healing after this is over," she joked. All three of her teammates smiled in response.

The squad leader was horrified at the current state of the battle. She knew Sun was powerful, but to have completely shifted the tide of the battle on her own, not to mention killing two of her subordinates herself, was borderline insane. Within minutes, her six remaining warriors were reduced to two, and with seven Senshi to contend with, they weren't likely to remain for much longer.

The leading youma ground her teeth. She didn't want to have to order this of her allies, but she couldn't call for a retreat at this point. The Data Siphon array was still gathering data. Calling it forfeit now would cause them to lose too much important information. She closed her eyes in a silent apology for what she was about to have her comrades do.

"Thenka, Darii," she called out. The two youma, as well as the Senshi quickly glanced in her direction. "We have no choice. We must dispose of these humans now." She looked absolutely stern. "Release mortal inhibitors, now!"

The two remaining youma looked at each other, their expressions unreadable, and nodded. They turned to face their adversaries.

"Foolish Senshi," the one on the left announced, "You think victory is yours? How wrong you are. Now, face the uninhibited might of the Tenebrum!"

Both youma raised their right hands in front of them. A glowing purple-black orb appeared in each palm. The youma stared at their orbs longingly for a moment, before crushing them in their fist. Almost immediately, they began screaming out in agony. The Senshi watched in horror as their foes began to transform in front of them. The squad leader watched from her post unblinkingly. _I'm sorry it had to come to this, s_he thought, _It won't be in vain._

The youma on the left, Thenka, started growing in size. While she previously appeared to be over two meters tall, she now grew to over six. Her violet skin darkened into a sick blackish purple. Her pupils and irises faded as her eyes began glowing a solid red. Her already toned body now mutated into a hulking abomination. The claws on her finger tips elongated into scalpel-sharp knives, and the twin horns on her head lengthened and curled, now resembling the horns of a ram.

The other youma, Darii's transformation was similar. She did not grow quite as large as her ally, however she still gave off a terrifying aura. Her skin also darkened to become an almost solid black. Her eyes lost any trace of the intelligence they held as they began glowing a menacing red. Two leathery wings grew out of her back, and a long tail sprouted from her back. The tip of the tail ended in a massive spike, which boasted an extremely sharp edge. Her face shifted in structure, lengthening into what appeared to be a snout, and her ears grew pointier and larger, almost resembling a bat's.

As both sets of transformations concluded, the Senshi stood in awe at what had transpired. Before them now stood two monstrous behemoths. Neither held any air of the intelligence which they had possessed prior to their changes. They had morphed into beasts, both in body and mind. Only a primal hunger remained. A hunger for victory, no matter the cost. The two gargantuan youma looked down upon their enemies, opened their massive fanged mouths, and unleashed a horrible unified roar.

* * *

Author's Notes:  
Sorry that this week's chapter was late. It's filled with good, meaty action, so I hope the wait was worth it. Unfortunately, the next chapter may be a couple days late as well, but I promise not to make you wait too long!

Look forward to some new characters showing up soon.


	6. Chapter Five: Anomalous Allies

Soluna – Volume One

Chapter Five: Anomalous Allies

By Saarth'ir

Based on the "Sailor Ranko" series, started by Duncan Zillman, and continued by Kevin D. Hammel, Arthur Hansen, and Rebecca Heineman. "Sailor Ranko is, in turn based on the series "Sailor Moon" by Naoko Takeuchi and "Ranma 1/2" by Rumiko Takahashi. Therefore, many of these characters are owned and copyrighted by their respective owners. So, with that out of the way, enjoy!

* * *

The wind blew through the Azabu-Juuban Recreational Park, rustling the leaves of trees and forming small waves on the surface of the nearby lake. While it was a beautiful day out, the park was empty. At the news of invading youma nearby, the park was quickly evacuated. Everyone was urged to return to their homes and remain inside. As such, the only noise throughout the park came from the wind, the leaves, and the water.

The wind suddenly picked up in ferocity, particularly around the dock which stood in the lake. The air there twisted and turned in a cyclonic fashion. As the wind grew more and more turbulent, the space above the dock itself tore open in a violent display or energy. A rotating anomaly appeared hovering in mid-air, its center spiraling infinitely into seemingly nothingness. Just as quick as it had begun, the great wind suddenly ceased and the calm breeze returned. However, the portal remained.

Three figures suddenly fell from the floating anomaly. The two humanoid beings landed on their feet, while the more feline shape impacted with a resounding crash. The portal above them quickly closed, its purpose served.

"Really now. Even after all this time, you still can't land on your feet? You're going to get chewed out for it when we get back for sure," the first figure groaned in. She stepped towards her companion, her red boots coming to stop next to its small form.

"Shut up," a small soprano voice shouted in response, "You know I try as hard as I can to get my landings right!". The tone of her voice shifted from annoyance to prudishness, "Besides, I'm not the only one who has a hard time learning 'easy' things. Right, Miss 'Can't Make Her Own Bed'?"

"Y-y-y-you shaddup!" the first voice flusteredly commanded, "It's not my fault that the trianoflux cotton my comforter is made of doesn't want to be tucked in!"

"Mmmmhmm," the second voice responded smugly. "Of course, whatever you say, Princess," she said the last word with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

They were both interrupted by the third girl clearing her throat. "Come on, we don't have time for this," she said. She quickly turned her head to face the south, her blue-tinged raven hair trailing behind her. "The fighting's already started. We need to get there quickly," she exclaimed with great determination.

"Ooooh. Someone's enthusiastic about meeting the Senshi, huh?" the first responded mockingly.

The third quickly defended herself, "Wha-? You know why we should be in a hurry," One could almost hear the pout that appeared on her face. "Don't tease me about this. Let's get going!" She quickly leaped off the dock and headed south at top speed, her long hair billowing behind her.

The two remaining figures chuckled lightly. "Same old, same old," the first muttered before turning to her remaining companion. "She's right though. Come on!" With that, the two quickly followed after the other girl.

* * *

Sun shoved a still woozy Mars out of the way as the hulking behemoth's fist slammed into the ground nearby. The force of the impact shook the earth around it, causing most of the Senshi to lose their footing. Meanwhile, the beast that was previously Darii flapped its massive wings and lifted off from the ground. It flew in a quick circle, positioning itself above the tiny Senshi. Its mouth hung open, but it merely floated and watched eagerly.

Sun quickly regained her footing and glared at the massive monster in front of them. She held her arms to her side, as if ready to pitch a baseball. Blazing fire began collecting in between her palms.

"Searing Plasma Blast!" she called out, tossing the large fireball at the great youma's abdomen. The fireball impacted and burst, scorching the monster. However, the huge abomination barely noticed the attack. It turned its attention to Sun, angered by her attack. Sun couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at the lack of damage her attack had caused.

As the youma wound up to smash Sun, the other Senshi quickly entered a formation and begun their attacks. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Io, and even a weakened Mars all cast out their spells, unleashing a menagerie of various elements at the towering youma. All their attacks hit home, but seemed to have no effect. The youma swung its massive fist down, intending to crush Sun, who quickly jumped out of the way. Once again, the force of the impact against the ground shook the Senshi, putting them off balance.

"Moon, you have to use your Spiral Heart Attack against it," Mars yelled out. Regardless of the panic in her voice, her eyes maintained a steely look. "Nothing we throw at it is working, but your attack should!"

The Senshi leader nodded and prepared her attack, "Moon Spiral Heart-". Before she could finish her incantation, a horrible screech rang out, deafening the Senshi and causing Moon to cease her attack.

"Wha-what the hell? What's causing that?" Jupiter screamed out, unsure if anyone else could hear her over the resounding uproar. She looked upwards and found her answer.

The flying youma's mouth was wide open, the ear-splitting screech emanating from it. It noticed that its disruption tactic had succeeded and closed its mouth, silencing the screech. Even so, the Senshi's ears continued to ring. The airborne monstrousity maintained its position, floating above the battle below.

"You damn monster," Venus cried out, still clutching the side of her head with one hand. She pointed at the flying creature with her other hand. "Crescent Beam!" she screamed. The ray of energy was easily evaded as the youma danced around it. It flew away from the battle in a wide arc, but kept its eyes on the Senshi.

The Senshi shook the cobwebs from their heads and focused their attention on the grounded behemoth in front of them. It stared at them with primal fury and began approaching the squad with the intent to crush them flat.

"You gotta try again, Moon," Sun declared, "It's the only way we can take this thing down."

Moon whimpered from the pain her ears were causing her, but nodded and steeled herself. She once again readied her attack, holding the Moon Rod in front of her.

She began her incantation, "Moon Spiral Heart-", and was once again interrupted by the massive screech from the airborne youma, which had flown back specifically to thwart Moon's attack. The Senshi had no choice but to cover their ears and scream in pain from the piercing cry.

This time, the other youma continued its attack through the noise. It swung both of its arms down in a massive attack, and the girls scrambled to evade, still clutching their ears tightly. While they all successfully dodged the youma's attack, their lack of preparation for the shockwave caused most of them to topple over. The flying youma's screech once again subsided, and it flew around the clearing, keeping itself distant from the Senshi.

Mercury groaned as she pushed herself up to her hands and feet. Her ears were still ringing loudly. "Damnit," she cursed, which amongst everything else ocurring, caused most of her allies to look at her in shock. Mercury cursing was certainly a rare enough occurrence to warrant the looks she was receiving.

She turned to look at her allies, "That thing obviously knows that Moon's attack can kill them. It's specifically waiting for her to try to attack," she explained. The others nodded, slowly climbing to their feet.

"Unfortunately," Mercury continued, "I'm almost positive that Moon's attack is the only thing that can harm them." Her face almost took a thoughtful expression, but she couldn't help but wince from the painful ringing in her head. "Maybe Sun's Solar Flare would work." She looked towards the red-headed Senshi.

Sun shook her head in response to Mercury's unspoken question. "I'm in the same boat as Moon." She glanced skyward at the hovering monster before elaborating, "My Solar Flare takes a lot of concentration to unleash, and I don't think that thing is willing to let me focus."

The grounded juggernaut began approaching the Senshi again. Its slow and steady gait made it all the more intimidating. Above it, its flying ally patrolled, seemingly keeping its eyes fixated on Moon.

Venus looked at her leader sadly. "Moon, I know that thing's scream hurts, but we need you now," she declared. All the others nodded in agreement. "You always pull through for us in our times of need, and this is definitely one of those times! Please, you have to just bear the pain," Venus begged Moon, tears in her eyes.

Moon looked at Venus with a very competitive amount of tears in her own blue eyes. They looked ready to burst free at any moment. "I can't," she cried, "It's too much. Just too much!" She looked down to the ground and let her tears flow freely. "I'm sorry, I just can't do it. I can't concentrate through that."

Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands gently cup her ears. She glanced behind her and into the shining blue eyes of Sailor Sun. Sun released her hands from the blonde's ears and smiled.

"I got you covered," she said reassuringly, "Come on, I believe in you. We all do. Give it one more shot, I'll cover your ears for you."

Moon looked shocked and anger grew on her face. "You can't," she nearly screamed, "That thing will definitely screech again, and if you don't protect your own ears, it'll deafen you!" Tears continued streaming down her face.

Sun merely shrugged. "Maybe, but if we don't do this, it's not just my hearing that's going to suffer," she offered humorously, "Come on, leader. I'm not afraid, and you shouldn't be either." She held out her hand for her blonde friend.

Moon sighed and accepted Sun's offer, letting herself be pulled up. She looked Sun in the eyes and nodded before turning to face the massive youma who was once again approaching them slowly. Moon took a deep breath held out her Moon Rod. She glanced for a second upwards, and confirmed her fears.

The flying youma had its mouth wide open, already preparing to counter Moon's attack. Moon began to shake in fear, but was reassured when Sun placed her hands over the Senshi of the Moon's ears. The other Senshi also shielded their own ears.

Moon just barely heard Sun say, "Let's finish this. Do it," and swallowed her fear. She steeled herself mentally in preparation for the sonic barrage which would still hammer her eardrums, even with Sun's protection. Moon swung her rod into its beginning position for her attack and began her incantation, closing her eyes.

"Moon-" she called out calmly. The flying youma inhaled in preparation to unleash its devastating screech.

"MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!"

Moon started and opened her eyes, shocked by her attack's name being called out by someone other than her. The other Senshi also stared wondrously. A bright, pink, heart-shaped beam of energy suddenly flew directly through the great youma who was approaching them. As the energy subsided, a massive heart-shaped hole was left in its body. It collapsed to its knees, howling in astonished agony.

The flying youma ceased its screeching preparations and turned to face where the beam had come from. It searched haphazardly for whoever initiated the attack. With its attention focused elsewhere, it failed to notice the figure approaching it from the rooftops behind.

"Spiraling Tempest!" the figured called out. The youma quickly flapped its wings to turn around. It found itself face-to-face with a cyclonic column of visible emerald-green wind. The tornadic wind collided with the youma, buffeting it with razor-sharp bursts of air. It screamed out as it was tumbled and tossed, spiraling directly towards the earth below. It crashed into the street with a resounding slam as the magical wind subsided.

The youma squad leader stared breathlessly at the two fallen warriors. Her two remaining soldiers, who had sacrificed their intelligence and any semblance of humanity in exchange for raw power, had been completely decimated by a single attack each. She could not believe this was happening, and lost herself in her despair.

The crystal she held in her hand suddenly pulsed, and drew her out of her shock. It pulsed three more times before going dark. That was it. The array had finished collecting data and had successfully stored it in the Array Control crystal she held. She grimaced as she realized that while her squad had fallen, their mission had been a success. She took one last look at what remained of her loyal warriors before slipping back into the portal from whence they arrived. The portal closed behind her.

The Senshi were still too lost in shock over what had just transpired to notice the lead youma's retreat. They stared towards the roofs where the two attacks which had saved them originated from. On each, a lone figure stood, bearing a familiar looking uniform. The two jumped down to the ground from their posts and quickly approached the recovering group.

Moon seemingly recovered first, staring at the girl who was no approaching her. A very familiar girl, who wore an identical uniform to her own. In fact, the two girls appeared extremely similar. The only easily discernible difference was the new girl's pink hair and bright red eyes.

"M-m-m-m-moo-" Moon stuttered, trying to find her words.

"I think what you're trying to say is 'Moon'," the pink-haired girl offered, giggling, "But for simplicity sake, just call me Neo-Moon," she boasted pridefully, hand on her hips in a show of strength.

"What are you doing here?" Moon practically screamed. "H-how?" Neo-Moon winced, sticking a finger in her ear in an attempt to drive the noise out.

"Sheesh! I save your hearing and in return you try to deafen me?" she joked, a goofy smile on her face, "It's good to see you too, mom."

By this point, the other Senshi had had plenty of time to recover fully from their shock. They all took stock of their returning ally. A long lost friend had come back to them. They all offered their hugs and greetings to the future girl, along with heartfelt thanks for the save.

"Aww, it was nothing," the pink-haired Moon smiled, scratching the side of her head, "Besides, it wasn't just me." She motioned towards her ally who had remained slightly away from the group, going unnoticed due to the Senshi's focus on Neo-Moon's return.

"Isn't that right? Come on over here and introduce yourself, windy," she teased.

The other girl replied by developing an angry blush, aimed at the one who had put her in the spotlight. None the less, she cautiously approached the group. The Senshi turned their attention to the new arrival.

From very first glance, they could tell she was one of them. Her uniform, which shared its shape with their own, marked her as a Senshi. She wore knee-high boots, emerald in color, simple in design, with a high back. There were yellow-gold engravings along the sides of the boots, near the top. The result gave the tops of the boots the appearance of wings if viewed from the side. Her fuku was white, the same as every other Senshi. Her skirt shared the same color of her boots. Her hands were covered with white gloves which reached up to her elbows. The tops of the gloves ended in emerald sleeves. The cloth collar of her uniform also shared this color, with a white stripe accentuating it. The standard Senshi ribbons which decorated her chest and back were a rich golden yellow. In the center of the anterior ribbon stood a diamond-shaped emerald brooch. Upon her neck, she wore a matching choker, with a golden star on the front of it. Her golden tiara graced her forehead, a lone green gem seated in it.

The Senshi also looked at her face for some kind of recognition. She had a slim, yet well toned face which matched the shape of her body. It was obvious she had a history of physical conditioning. Her face was surrounded by a corona of long, raven hair. The color had a certain tinge of blue to it when the light shined upon it. Sun felt a strange tinge of familiarity in her gut in regards to her hair color. Her long hair reached down to in between her shoulder blades, pulled back loosely and tied near the end of the strands. Two long groups of hair flowed freely down the sides of her face in front of her ears. These strands reached slightly passed her chin in length. Her forehead and tiara were shrouded by her choppy bangs.

Her eyes were a brilliant baby-blue. They shone full of emotion and showed both experience and youth. Io silently remarked to herself how they reminded her of Sun's eyes.

The girl being studied noticed Io's steadfast stare and turned way, blushing. She brought herself up to her full height. Jupiter noted that she was actually quite tall for a girl of her age, which was apparently the same as Neo-Moon's own. Probably around a hundred and seventy or eighty centimeters. Not quite as tall as her of course, but she certainly had no trouble dwarfing most of the other Senshi, especially a certain red-head.

The mystery girl faced towards the group who were silently assessing her and bowed deeply, the bright blush which graced her face now hidden to everything except the ground.

"It's nice to meet you all," she stuttered quickly. "I am a friend of Moon's, who I believe you are familiar with." She quickly corrected herself, "Uh, that is Neo-Moon, of course," the girl momentarily paused, still bent over in a bow.

"I look forward to working with you all on this mission," she spat out before straightening back up. She looked absolutely flustered, her face dominated by a bright pink shading.

"You- you can call me..." she glanced over at her pink-haired friend, who merely nodded back.

"You can call me," she turned back to look at the Senshi, "Europa."

* * *

Author's Notes:  
I once again apologize for how late this chapter was. I plan on writing up an explanation of why these chapters have been coming less frequently, but in the A/N's is not the place. I'll probably update my profile with the information in the coming days. But, basically, I'll unfortunately be reducing the rate of chapters to every other week instead of every week.

Next chapter we'll learn more about both new allies and enemies! Stay tuned!


	7. Chapter Six: Discussion and Revelation

Soluna – Volume One

Chapter Six: Discussion and Revelation

By Saarth'ir

Based on the "Sailor Ranko" series, started by Duncan Zillman, and continued by Kevin D. Hammel, Arthur Hansen, and Rebecca Heineman. "Sailor Ranko" is, in turn based on the series "Sailor Moon" by Naoko Takeuchi and "Ranma 1/2" by Rumiko Takahashi. Therefore, many of these characters are owned and copyrighted by their respective owners. So, with that out of the way, enjoy!

* * *

As the day began to make way for dusk, the warm air all around Tokyo began to cool. The glorious, bright sun still shone strongly in the sky, prohibiting the temperature from dropping any lower than it already had. None the less, certain insect inhabitants of the city decided that it was a good time to show themselves. The air was filled with the ensemble of cicadas and crickets chirping, while large groupings of fruit flies, gnats, and even mosquitoes congregated in mid air.

Yes, the insects were having their day. The parks and streets of Juuban belonged to them. Most of the human inhabitants of the city had long since fled to the indoors with the quickly spreading news of a youma attack. However, not everyone remained hidden away in the safe confines of their homes and workplaces.

Less than a kilometer south from the Azabu-Juuban Recreational Park, a certain block was filled with human activity. At least a dozen police vehicles, consisting of cruisers, bikes, and even riot police trucks, littered the streets surrounding the small clearing of trees. The area was being surveyed heavily by no less than thirty officers, spread all around the intersection. Amongst them, a small group of government security and science personnel analyzed what had been a battlefield.

Officer Shigeru Matsubara watched as the hazmat garbed officials poked around the site. He stared, somewhat bored, at the large corpse that lay in front of him. Shigeru was no senior officer, but he had served in the Minato ward long enough to have dealt with situations such as this one previously. In fact, he was on active duty during the invasion the previous year. He scrunched up his face as he remembered the event.

Still, he could not deny that this was different from the usual aftermath of a battle involving youma. It was obvious that the Senshi were involved in this battle, but of course, they were now nowhere to be found. What was strange was the carcass in front of him. Throughout his career as an officer, he had never seen anything quite as large and monstrous as this. _Well, okay, there was that one time with the lizards,_ he reminded himself mentally. Shigeru was brought back to the real world when he heard his name being called out, "Officer Matsubara!"

The policeman in question turned to see Lieutenant Anzai approaching him rapidly. Noboru Anzai served as one of the lieutenants at the local police station. He led a group of junior officers, consisting of Matsubara, as well as some of his colleagues. Anzai was an older fellow compared to Shigeru. He was short and portly, but still somewhat fit. The graying hair on the top of the sergeant's head had long since receded.

Shigeru noticed that his lieutenant was not alone. Walking next to the portly officer was a man dressed in a western-style black business suit, complete with red tie. He carried with him a small metal briefcase. Shigeru blinked twice, _Definitely a government higher-up_, he thought to himself. He squinted his eyes. He didn't like the look of this g-man. He was too rigid for Shigeru's liking.

The two men approached Shigeru. "Officer Matsubara," Lieutenant Anzai exclaimed, a bright, goofy smile, fitting for his figure, appeared on his face, "Good job keeping these hazmat crews nice and safe. I knew I could count on you for this terribly tough assignment."

Shigeru knew that the lieutenant was joking sarcastically, but none the less, he saluted his officer. "Yes, sir! I'm glad I could be of service, sir!" It was hard for him to keep a straight face through the joke, but Shigeru didn't waver.

Lieutenant Anzai's cheery demeanor remained for a few more seconds before taking on a more serious tone. The portly officer motioned towards his escort, "Officer Matsubara, allow me to introduce Taiki Kurosawa, an advisement councilor for the Bureau of Defense."

Shigeru grimaced internally, _Right on the money,_ he thought to himself, _government brass in the flesh._ Externally, the junior officer quickly saluted and bowed to the government officer.

"Officer Matsubara here is one of my best men," Lieutenant Anzai informed the suited man, his cheerful expression returning, "He will be able to update you on the situation." The lieutenant turned back to Shigeru, "Matsubara, show Mr. Kurosawa around the site and answer any questions he has."

Shigeru realized that Anzai was dumping the duty of escorting this Ministry lackey onto him. However, there was nothing he could do about it. He saluted to his lieutenant and turned to the suited man, "Please follow me if you would, sir," he offered, trying his hardest to restrain his annoyance.

The government official nodded to his new charge, "Please, lead the way, officer," he responded plainly.

As the two men departed from the scene, Lieutenant Anzai smirked. He knew that Shigeru probably hated his guts at this moment, but it would do the boy some good to get caught up in some government task work. It would show him that the world of a cop was not all sunshine and rainbows. Relieved of his previous duty, the lieutenant walked off in search of his other officers. Perhaps he could find something for them to do as well.

As the officer and Ministry official patrolled the now dormant battlefield, Shigeru kept his sight straight ahead the entire time. He did not want to have to discuss anything with this agent if possible. A discreet frown appeared on his face as he realized that he would not get the quiet he so desired.

"Officer, your lieutenant was awfully vague about the situation here," Mr. Kurosawa said, finally breaking the lingering silence. "Perhaps you could explain to me in more detail what exactly happened here," he paused, both in speech and gait. The agent glanced over at the carcass of some winged monstrosity. "Particularly, what these things are."

Shigeru ceased his walking as well and turned to face the fallen monster. His eyes stared blankly, not really observing the teams of men and women analyzing, testing, and noting the large corpse. "Well, Mr. Kurosawa," he replied, his voice emotionless, "We're not exactly sure ourselves. None of our officers were on the scene at the time of the incident," he turned to face Mr. Kurosawa, a taunting smirk appearing on his face. "But if I had to guess, I'd say a youma attack."

Surprisingly, Kurosawa returned the smirk in a seemingly more sinister variant. "Ah, yes, it would make sense for these to be youma, wouldn't it?" he asked rhetorically, mock surprise drenching his response. "These youma have quite the history here in Azabu-Juuban, don't they?" he asked his charge.

Shigeru nodded, "You could say that, sir," he stroked his chin in a show of thought, "We've definitely seen a good number of them over the years."

Agent Kurosawa continued staring at the corpse several meters in front of him. "Have you ever seen one in person, officer?" he quickly chuckled at a private joke, "Alive, I meant," he corrected.

"I have," Officer Matsubara replied, a tinge of curiosity peeking through his casual tone, "None like this though. The one's I've seen were a lot smaller."

"And yet, still incredibly destructive. At least, from what I've read in the reports," the agent said plainly. "Also, very resilient, I hear. So much so that high-grade firearms have trouble harming even the smallest ones."

Shigeru didn't know how to respond to that statement, so instead, he opted to remain quiet, silently hoping that the conversation would end there. Of course, with his luck, it wouldn't.

Kurosawa finally turned to look at Shigeru, "What, or who, do you suppose, could have the power necessary to kill these things, let alone even injure them?" he suddenly asked. The tone of his voice was full of mock ignorance.

The young officer finally understood where this conversation was heading, and he didn't like it. This Ministry lackey was feigning ignorance. It was plainly obvious to Shigeru that Agent Kurosawa was trying to get into a discussion about the Senshi. It wasn't exactly a secret that the Bureau of Defense weren't the biggest fans of the Senshi.

Unfortunately, Shigeru knew he couldn't remain silent. He was forced to walk right into the agent's clutches. "Well," he said sullenly, "I would imagine the Senshi probably had something to do with this particular incident." He indicated towards the gaping wound on the large creature. Shigeru could feel the sinister smirk creeping onto Agent Kurosawa's face.

"Why of course," the official exclaimed in faux surprise, "these so-called 'Senshi' do fight these things don't they?" He pointed to where a nearby shop had a large hole decorating it. The rim of the hole was burned a crispy black. Kurosawa continued, "That would certainly explain the collateral damage, eh?"

Shigeru appraised the damage, his face blank and emotionless. The less he responded to the agent, the better. He had a feeling he knew what the next thing out of Kurosawa's mouth would be. As it turned out, he was quite spot on.

"Tell me, Officer Matsubara, was it?" Kurosawa said as he turned to face his accompanying charge. The agent had an ugly smile plastered on his lips. "What do you think of these so-called 'Guardians'?" he asked.

Shigeru turned to look the official in they eyes, his own eyes stalwart. He had guessed exactly where the conversation would end up. The Ministry official had no real interest in the youma or the danger they posed. He was more interested in getting the Senshi on the bad side of the public's view. Shigeru guessed that the Bureau's whole goal was to convert as many law enforcement officers to their side as possible. He definitely did not agree with them, but none the less, he would have to be as courteous and professional as possible, else he risk his job.

In as professional a tone as he could muster, Shigeru responded, "Mr. Kurosawa, I'm but a humble police officer. A junior one at that. My personal opinion on the Senshi is of no value to the force," he paused for a moment to appraise the agent's reaction before continuing, "But if you must know, I'm very grateful for their help with these monsters."

The smile on Agent Kurosawa's face immediately dropped to a frown, but only momentarily before all emotion completely faded from his expression. "I see," he said aloofly. He quickly turned away from Officer Matsubara, looking at nothing in particular. "Thank you for escorting me, officer. However, I'm afraid I must be going now." Without another word, or waiting for Shigeru's response, Agent Kurosawa departed from the scene in the direction of his waiting car.

Shigeru stood unmoving for a short time. He suddenly smiled brightly. He had beaten the Ministry's lackey. He glanced around happily before heading back to his previous post, a slight skip in his walk. His shift had certainly turned out better than it had started.

* * *

The beauteous grounds of the Hikawa Shrine glistened in the approaching dusk. The flowers in the garden swayed happily in the light warm breeze. Various animals wandered around the less traveled areas of the shrine grounds, enjoying the last couple of hours before the sun would finally retreat below the horizon and make way for the darkness of night.

The once rambunctious noise of relics breaking had long since ceased, as Yuuichirou and Rei's grandfather had left the shrine to complete some last minute errands. The occasional visitor still stopped by from time to time to pray, but aside from them, the shrine seemed completely deserted.

Inside the house, seven girls, one boy, and a hawk were seated around the lounging area table. Rei lay propped up on a futon nearby with Luna trying to tend to her wounds. The girls initially wanted to confine Rei to bed so she could rest, but a swift rebuttal from the injured girl that she ought to be a part of the meeting forced them to back down. Instead, they brought the futon from the guest closet for her to lie on. After making sure she was as comfortable as possible, the rest of the group got seated around the table.

While Artemis and Diana were initially seated on the table near the girls, they were quickly, but politely, asked to sit with Luna and Rei on the nearby futon. Within seconds of the meeting beginning, the presence of the two nearby moon cats put Ranma into a light panic. The ailurophobia-stricken boy had made some real progress over the past year in regards to being around Luna and Artemis. After everything that had happened between them, he was able to see the two advisers as friends rather then cats, at least mostly. He could usually stand to be near them, even look at them, albeit temporarily, without entering a panic. However, the presence of this new, unfamiliar cat caused a nearly complete backtrack in Ranma's ability to cope with the animals; and so, after the two cats went to sit with Rei and Luna, and the pig-tailed boy was seated in a spot on the other side of the table from them, the meeting was able to commence.

The air was filled with anxiety, and Neo-Moon, Europa, and Diana were not too surprised that most of it was directed towards them. Europa gulped and took a sip of her tea which Makoto had prepared prior to the meeting. Neo-Moon put on her best impression of a stereotypical smiley face sticker, deciding to divert the anxiety with a huge awkward grin. Diana merely looked timidly between Luna and Artemis, who returned her gazes with disciplined yet warm disappointment and goofy happiness respectively.

"Ahem," Luna cleared her throat, "Before we begin, would you two be willing to revert from your Senshi forms?" she asked, indicating towards Neo-Moon and Europa. "The others have already returned to their civilian forms. We don't want Rei's grandfather to get suspicious."

Neo-Moon quickly nodded. After a quick swirl of golden light engulfed her and disappeared, Usa sat where the future Senshi had just been. On the other hand, Europa intensified her tea staring and sat quietly. Usa nudged Europa with her elbow. "It's alright," she reassured her friend, "It's not going to mess up anything. Besides, they won't know you anyways," she goofed, smiling brightly.

Europa appeared to darken at that comment, though no one could really tell why. She quietly nodded and just like her friend, after a quick emerald light show, a casually dressed girl now sat where the enigmatic Senshi had been just a second before.

The others around the table, as well as Luna, Artemis, and Rei, silently appraised the stranger before them. Her features certainly matched what they had seen before in the future Senshi, but with the magical disguise field now gone, her appearance was fully visible to them. As far as any of them could tell, they had never seen her before. The girl blushed a little but kept staring down towards her cup of tea.

Luna caught herself staring at the new girl and recomposed herself. "Well then," she blurted out, "Thank you both." She looked around the table as the others also gathered their wits and stopped staring at the poor girl.

"Now then," Luna continued, "We certainly have much to discuss, but first," she turned to look directly at Usa, who withered slightly under her stoic gaze, "Perhaps the little princess would like to explain what she's doing here."

Usa couldn't help but to chuckle nervously. She had always been very good at hiding things from her friends and family in the past, but even she knew that she was no match for a full frontal assault from Luna. She silently remarked to herself that Luna had just as much of a commanding presence now as she did in the future.

"Well, uh, you see," she stuttered, not quite sure how to respond without giving too much away, "Diana, myself, and, um," she paused, apparently getting brain and tongue tied over something.

"I gotta question," Ranma suddenly interrupted. He leaned his chin on his fist in a bored fashion. His eyes turned to gaze at the raven-haired girl sitting next to Usa. "You gave us your Senshi name," he addressed her, "But now that you're not in Senshi form anymore, what're we supposed to call ya?"

"Maybe," Makoto interjected, "You could tell us your name?" She leaned forward across the table."I'm guessing this time travel nonsense makes it risky to tell us too much, but it's not like we recognize you anyways," she pointed out. She received an ensemble of mumbled agreement from around the table. The mystery girl once again found herself the center of attention.

"Uh, I mean I can't really. I mean, I shouldn't really," she stammered out. She turned to look to her friend for help, but received a nervous shrug in response. It was obvious both future girls were cracking under the pressure of interrogation.

The raven-haired girl stopped and closed her eyes for a second, thinking to herself. Everyone waited patiently for her response. After what seemed like hours, she opened her eyes again. They contained steely resolve within them, and she appeared much calmer and determined.

"Yes, I suppose it would help for allies to know each others' names," she spoke, "After all, I do already know all of yours." A slight grin full of pride appeared on her face. It faded almost as quickly as it appeared. "I'm afraid I can't give you my full name though. I fear it could cause some... issues."

Nearly everyone around the table nodded in acknowledgment and understanding. She nodded back and spoke, "My Senshi name is Europa, of the Galilean moons," she proclaimed. Makoto and Akane both visibly reacted slightly to that. The girl couldn't help but smile. "My actual name though," she paused, "Is Midori."

The group was silent. While normally the revelation of a name would not be so dramatic, each member of the team knew what every other person at the table was thinking. This was a possible new ally. Not only that, but also a true link to their destined future, the first most of them had seen since Usa first showed up years ago. Even though they did not recognize this girl or her name, it weighed heavily on them.

Akane was the first to break the awkward silence which had ensued. "Midori, huh?" she spoke, "I actually really like that name. I think it's cute." She smiled warmly at the future girl, who couldn't help but blush in response. The rest of the table warmed back up from her ice-breaking comment. Various murmurs of acknowledgment, agreement, and wonder came from all around.

"Ahem." All of the table's inhabitants turned to Luna. She continued, "Very well, Midori, thank you for trusting us with your identity." She smiled a very feline smile, "I understand why you would be concerned to divulge any specific information about the future." The black cat nodded to herself.

"Actually," Midori responded, "I already knew that none of you would recognize me," she admitted.

Ami looked confused. "So then why be so cautious about telling us this vague information?" she asked confounded.

Midori blushed slightly and looked at a loss for words. She quickly found them however. "I just, well, just in case, I guess," she stuttered.

"Regardless," Luna interjected, "We do appreciate your trust in us. After all, if you're a friend of Usa's, I see no reason why we can't trust you," she proclaimed. Smiles warmed the faces of most of the people sitting around the table, Luna included.

"Now then," she continued, "Back to my previous question." Her gaze turned towards Usa. "Would you care to explain what you three are doing here?" she questioned accusingly.

Usa looked abashed. She quickly stammered out a response, "Geeze, is that any way to thank Midori and I for saving your butts?" The pink-haired girl huffed and looked away. Under her breath she mumbled, "Psh, always so serious and mean."

"Don't get us wrong," Rei suddenly spoke up from her perch, "We're really grateful for that rescue," she said happily. Her face quickly took on a serious tone. "It's just that whenever you show up, it usually means something big and nasty is about to happen, or it already has." She sighed, "It seems to me like this falls under the latter."

At Usa's silence, Rei continued, "You always either have to keep quiet about whatever task you're trying to complete, or you're in the dark yourself." Rei allowed a warm smile to grace her beat up face. "I have a feeling that neither of those apply this time around," she said non-accusingly, "So why not throw us a little bone, huh?"

Usa sighed but a light smile grew on her lips. "Actually," she responded, "We kind of are in the dark about this one." She looked around the table to gather the reactions of her friends. "The truth is, Midori, Diana, and I were actually sent back this time by you, mom," she admitted.

Usagi looked slightly confused. "I sent you back?" she asked. Her future daughter nodded in response. "For what reason?" Usagi questioned.

Usa shrugged. "You just told us that we had to go back and help you with this new mess." She looked at Luna as if to answer the cat's unspoken question. "When I asked you about the details of this event, you just told me 'not to worry', and that 'everything will work out because it has to'." Usa leaned backwards, supporting herself with her arms.

Midori nodded to acknowledge her friend's explanation. "I'm afraid it's true," she spoke, "We honestly don't know any more than you all do." She looked over at Diana who was seated next to the other cats. "I have a feeling this is part of a test for the three of us. We're still considered juniors, and I've heard them speak about giving us a special test."

"Who's 'they'?" Minako asked quickly.

Diana looked at the blonde. "Well, you all of course," she said, "That is, your future selves."

Minako groaned and held her head in her hands. All this time-travel shenanigans was quickly giving her a headache. Some of the others around the table shared her unspoken feelings. There was a small chorus of groans and gasps.

"Well," Chizuko suddenly spoke up, "It seems that our new allies will unfortunately not be able to help us shed any light on this new threat." She closed her eyes in thought temporarily. "We're completely in the dark about this enemy," she expressed harshly, "We have no ideas of their goals, their strengths, or their intelligence."

"Indeed," Ami agreed, "We're at a bad disadvantage for whenever they're next attack comes." She browsed through some data on her Mercury Computer. Various graphs and charts popped up on the screen. She stroked her chin and then continued, "In particular, we have no idea what those monsters were. The only thing we do know," she indicated to one of the graphs on the screen, "Is that the transformation they underwent drastically increased their dark energy levels, but also put an extreme mental and physical strain on their bodies."

Ami stopped to think for a few seconds, and a deep silence permeated the room. No one wanted to interrupt the genius girl's thoughts. Eventually she spoke, "If I had to guess, I'd assume that these transformations are a newly developed technique for the youma that acts as sort of a last resort for them, sacrificing their sanity and intelligence for a huge increase in power."

No one felt the need to disagree with Ami. All of them except Luna, Artemis, and Chizuko had seen the results of the transformations first hand. They all merely nodded in silent agreement.

"In regards to their intelligence," Ami continued, "That's what worries me the most." On the computer's screen, she pulled up a couple pictures that her visor had automatically taken during the battle, as well as a transcribed audio log from the battle.

She pointed to one of the images in particular. "See here," she proclaimed. "They obviously have a structured formation here, with a clear leader." She squinted her eyes, "The youma have never had such discipline before. Even the most intelligent of the ones we've fought in the past mostly used their brawn to fight, instead of their brains."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Rei spoke up, "But didn't they also refer to themselves as the 'Tenebrum' or something?"

Ami nodded. "Yes, I do believe I heard them call themselves that multiple times," she said as she glanced through the transcribed audio logs.

"Beings of Darkness," Chizuko suddenly blurted out. The eyes of all those seated at the table immediately turned to her. Chizuko noted that many of those stares were filled with confusion. "Tenebrous is a Latin word, meaning dark or shadowy," she quickly explained.

In response, Chizuko received a multitude of blank nods. She sighed. Clearly Latin was not on many of the Senshi's lists of known languages. Ami, Luna, Artemis, and surprisingly, Minako all looked thoughtful however.

"Wouldn't it be more appropriate for them to call themselves 'Obscuro' or 'Umbra' instead?" Minako proposed. Whereas Chizuko's declaration had only received a handful of stares, the entire room now gaped at Minako in shock.

Ami was the first to find her voice, "You speak Latin, Mina?" she exclaimed completely dumbfounded.

"Of course!" the blonde responded, pride drenching her voice. "After all, it is the language of love, and that's all the reason I need!"

"Uh, actually, I think that's supposed to be French," Akane quickly added.

Minako looked at her friend with perplexed disgust. "That can't be right," she insisted, "French is supposed to be the language of doves."

Makoto put palm to her face. "Ugh," she grunted, "I think you're a little confused Mina."

Minako shrugged in response. "Well, I don't know then. I've just always known how to speak it," she stated. The stares she had been receiving shifted from shock that the blonde knew Latin, to bewilderment that she apparently was born with the knowledge of a rare language.

"That does bring up an interesting point however," Chizuko interjected.

"And what's that?" Luna quickly asked.

Chizuko closed her eyes in thought for a second before answering. "I believe tenebris actually stems from old French," she explained.

"That little history tidbit is nice and all," Rei proclaimed sarcastically, "But I think we have more important things to discuss than language history at the moment."

Chizuko looked at Rei with a hint of annoyance. "If you would perhaps let me finish," she said defensively. Rei quickly shut her mouth and a small blush appeared on her cheeks.

"The reason that 'little history tidbit' could be important," Chizuko began, "Is because many of the Dark Kingdom's leaders originally hailed from France," she explained. "Now, it's entirely possible that these youma have no connection to the original caste of the Dark Kingdom, but I feel there could be a connection."

Most of the room, particularly Luna, stared at Chizuko. "And just how do you know that bit of history about the Dark Kingdom?" Luna asked.

Chizuko looked over at Luna with a disappointed look on her face. She sighed in annoyance. "Did you all forget that my memories of the Silver Millennium are still intact?" she asked plainly. Luna chose not to give the sun hawk's reminder a response, and simply stared at Chizuko, expressionless.

The avian adviser continued, "Back when the Dark Kingdom first started gaining followers, it was common knowledge where their leaders came from," she explained. "You all have lost most, if not all of your memories from those days," she said with a hint of sadness. "Along with a wide array of useful knowledge."

"WAH!" Usagi suddenly cried, "Does that mean that French people are youma?" The blonde leader's eyes looked about ready to tear up. With everything she knew about France being such a wonderfully beautiful and romantic country, full of wonderful food and people; she didn't know if she could stand being told that such a country was their enemy. She received numerous stares from her friends which asked, "Really?"

Chizuko quickly reassured Usagi, "No, no," she sighed, "France has no affiliation with the Dark Kingdom." The bird beamed proudly with knowledge. "In fact, after the initial uprising of the Dark Kingdom, France became one of the Moon Kingdom's greatest supporters in the war," she explained.

Chizuko continued explaining and became lost in her pride as an instructor. She nonchalantly motioned to Ami with her wing. "In particular, we actually gained one of our greatest allies from France: Lady Amhelia's moth-" Chizuko suddenly caught herself and opened her eyes wide in shock. She had been about to reveal a crucial piece of information which she felt the Senshi were not ready to know.

However, her slip did not go unnoticed. Ami looked at the bird with confusion written on her face. "Amelia? Who's that?" she asked, confounded. Slowly, realization penetrated Ami's mind. "Wait a minute," she stuttered, "You- you don't mean me, do you?" she asked rhetorically. She already knew the answer before the question had even left her mouth. "My mother. You were about to mention my mother," tears softly glistened her blue eyes, "My... past mother," she stammered out.

Chizuko gulped and blushed in embarrassment, an impressive feat for a bird covered in orange feathers. She realized she had said too much and Ami had caught on. It was no use trying to hide the information she had mistakenly revealed. Ami was a genius, Chizuko knew this. However, she also knew that the genius girl was somewhat emotionally fickle when it came to her family relations. She understood better than anyone that having Ami distraught over this issue could severely impact their ability to function as a team. She sighed.

"Ami, please forgive me," Chizuko pleaded, "I foolishly let my pride get the better of me and divulged something I should not have." She looked Ami in the eyes, her own eyes filled with deep sorrow. "You are correct," she admitted, "I'm afraid I can't tell you anymore about your mother, however, I can tell you that your name in your past life was Amhelia."

Ami sighed at being told that information. It felt so... familiar, like she should have always known it. A deep warmth filled her up inside. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to compose herself. She reopened them with her usual smile on her face. "I understand," she told Chizuko. "Thank you for telling me that, Chizuko."

The others could tell that Ami was feeling better. She was back to her calm and centered self. There were smiles around the table from the revelation of Ami's past name.

"Now wait just a minute," Makoto suddenly blurted out. "Are you telling me that we had different names during the Silver Millennium?" She looked like she was in complete disbelief. The other girls also looked confounded, as if they hadn't realized that not only Ami would have had a past name.

"Of course," Chizuko said matter-of-factually, "You don't think you all had Japanese names back before the Moon Kingdom was affiliated with the island nation? Do you?" she asked rhetorically. She was bombarded by the condemning stares of the four remaining Inner Senshi.

"I always thought you girls already knew about it," Artemis said suddenly, "And that you just didn't really care to bring it up." The full onslaught of the four girls' stares, now including Luna's own found a new target in the white cat. Artemis immediately gulped and shrunk himself back into the corner.

"You knew about this?!" Minako exclaimed to her so-called trusted friend and adviser. "I thought we trusted each other to share our fragmented memories of the past," she spoke angrily, "and you kept this from me?" If the others didn't know Minako so well, they'd probably think she was about to kill the white moon cat right then and there.

Artemis pleaded with Minako through his eyes. "I knew that you had different names in the past, but not what they actually were," he exclaimed hurtfully, "Honest! I thought you all knew the same and didn't care to find out. Let the past remain the past, and all that!"

Minako sighed and found she couldn't stay mad at Artemis. It was obvious he was telling the truth. The two of them had a strong connection, and a misunderstanding couldn't break that. The other girls also seemed sad but satisfied. Instead, they turned their attention back to the one who could answer their unspoken questions. Chizuko quickly noticed that all the attention was focused back at her, and gulped. She knew the savage verbal beating she was about to receive and prepared herself mentally for it.

"Ahem!" The sound of someone clearing their throat caused all the room's denizens to refocus their attention on the source of the voice. Usa looked at her friends with aggravation etched on her face. "It's great and all that you're learning about your pasts," she stated, "But in case you forgot, you have an issue in your present that needs addressing."

Chizuko breathed a sigh of thankful relief for the distraction. "Indeed," she said quickly, eager to help shift the topic of discussion away from past lives. "We have gotten distracted. These new youma are truly dangerous, and we must figure out how we plan on dealing with their inevitable second assault."

The others murmured agreement, disappointingly burying their desires to learn about their pasts. At least for now. Luna hopped over next to Ami and glanced at her computer. She pressed a couple keys and brought up the data logs for the battle.

"We know that this new threat is much stronger and more intelligent than their predecessors," the black cat stated. She grew thoughtful as she glanced over the information about the particular youma each Senshi had to fight. "It also seems that the enemy knows much about us as well."

Rei sat up, grimacing slightly as she held her bruised side. "What do you mean, Luna?" she asked.

"Look at this," Luna said, pointing at the various blurry images the Mercury Computer had automatically taken during the battle. "With the exception of Mercury and Moon, each of you were forced into a one-on-one battle," the cat explained. "It seems that you were each paired against a certain youma on purpose."

Luna looked over the data from various points during the battle. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but none of you were able to even harm your opponents until Sun and Io arrived to help," she pointed out.

Rei looked thoughtful before nodding. "It's true," she said sadly. "The youma I fought was far too fast for me to hit with any of my attacks." She looked down at her hands. "It's like it knew exactly how to dodge each strike from my Burning Mandala."

"It was the same for me, more or less," Makoto agreed. "The thing was easy to hit, but since it was made out of rock, my attacks couldn't harm it." She reclined back, supporting herself with her arms. "All of my attacks are electrical in nature. A creature made of rock is a pretty large weakness now that I think about it." The brunette sat back up and balled up her fists. "Too hard to punch too," she sighed.

Minako also had to agree with Luna. "Yeah, the one I fought seemed to know exactly how I like to fight," she recollected. "She easily deflected my attempts to disarm her or knock her lights out," she sighed.

"Ami and I beat one," Usagi exclaimed suddenly. She didn't even attempt to hide the pride on her face.

Ami looked at Usagi sadly. "We did through teamwork," she explained, "But I think Luna's on to something. The two of us ended up together completely on happenstance." She gazed at the data points on her computer. "I don't think they planned for that to happen."

"Exactly," Luna proclaimed. "If I had to guess, the youma purposely tried to use each of your weaknesses to defeat you."

Chizuko looked thoughtful. She nodded as realization dawned. "It certainly does make sense," she stated. "You each have a cardinal flaw as Senshi," Before she could receive any rebuttal, she decided to explain each in detail.

The sun hawk looked over to Rei. "Rei, as Sailor Mars, your attacks are strong and can engulf nearly any dark-energy based adversary with purifying fire," she explained. "However, they are also very slow to prepare and unleash, making them easy to dodge and counter if the enemy knows your attack patterns." Rei nodded in agreement.

Chizuko then turned her attention to Makoto. The brunette postured herself, ready to receive her criticism from the solar adviser. "Makoto, as Sailor Jupiter, you have an extremely potent array of attacks for dealing with organic foes," the hawk pointed out. "However, you're quite rash and reckless in combat. I fear that any opponent who can withstand your electrical onslaught can easily turn that recklessness against you." Makoto grimaced, but had to nod in agreement.

Minako guessed her turn was next. Sure enough, Chizuko turned to face her. "Minako, you have had more battle experience in this lifetime due to your time as Sailor V," she told the blonde. Minako smiled, _Perhaps this won't be as bad as I thought, _she thought to herself. "However," Chizuko continued, "As Sailor Venus, you've grown lax in your combat methods. Just like Makoto, you use the same tactics repeatedly. Disarming your opponents and finishing them off with a quick Crescent Beam is a great plan," she complimented, "But your enemy will quickly learn to counter it if you rely on those attacks too frequently." Minako sighed, and here she thought she was doing so well. The blonde sadly nodded.

Chizuko then turned to Ami. The blue-haired girl looked at the sun hawk eagerly, waiting to hear her wise assessment. "Ami, your genius both on and off the battlefield make you an invaluable ally to all of your teammates," Chizuko stated with pride. "Your quick assessments and decisions of battlefield tactics, alongside your beguiling and deceiving attacks have led this team to victory many times." The avian adviser suddenly looked saddened. "I'm afraid, your weakness is one of the simplest, yet hardest to correct," she sighed solemnly. "As Sailor Mercury, your attacks work great in conjunction with the others' own, however on your own, you severely lack any way to defeat your foes." Ami smiled sadly and nodded. She had already known this for some time, but Chizuko's explanation certainly reaffirmed the severity of it.

The four Inner Senshi had been assessed and criticized, but Chizuko wasn't done yet. She turned to face Usagi. The twin-tailed blonde already looked about ready to burst into tears before Chizuko even began her explanation. "Usagi, as our leader, you hold this team together," the bird stated warmly, "And while sometimes, we question your credibility to do just that, we are often awed at your resolve and determination."

Usagi's composition began solidifying. Chizuko was praising her instead of chastising her! She was about to break out into a full fledged smile when Chizuko continued, "As Sailor Moon, your powers of purification are our greatest weapon against the forces of the Dark Kingdom," she explained. "But you have the same weaknesses as Rei. Your attacks are far too slow to hit anyone who is still mobile." She looked at Usagi with steely resolve in her eyes. "On top of that, your presence on the battlefield is inhibited by the fact that you sometimes lose faith in yourself," she stated sadly. "Case in point: In today's battle, you were unable to defeat these transformed youma due to both of these flaws."

The blonde leader completely lost her smile and looked about ready to cry. _How could Chizuko be so mean?_ She asked herself. However, she slowly realized that the sun hawk was right. She recalled many times where she had almost lost the will to fight completely. If not for her friends and Mamoru, she probably would have lost long ago. Deep in her heart she knew that she had to change, especially if she was going to become the Moon Queen.

Usagi took a deep breath and calmed herself. She looked back up at Chizuko. The orange bird commented to herself on how Usagi's eyes had so suddenly shifted to the steely, determined form they held now. She felt warm by the future queen's sudden change of demeanor. Usagi smiled warmly and nodded to Chizuko, in thanks for the criticism.

Chizuko looked around the room at each girl she had just assessed. While they all appeared somewhat sullen or grumpy about their respective call-outs, she knew that inside they were thankful for her appraisals, and would surely grow from this. The questions were, how and when?

"I feel as though all of these flaws are correctable," she stated. "The issue is that they need to be corrected sooner instead of later." Chizuko strained to think of a way to quickly work on each of the girl's respective flaws. The issue of time, specifically the unknown amount of time before another youma invasion would occur prohibited any sort of major training regiment from being utilized. If all of the girls wound up exhausted and worn from an intense workout, it would harm their abilities in combat more so than help them.

Chizuko couldn't think of any solution. She glanced over to Luna and Artemis to see whether they had any ideas or input. Instead, the two moon cats shrugged in response. It seemed they were no better off on ideas either.

"How about a set of training journeys?" All the eyes in the room immediately turned to look at the only guy other than Artemis. Ranma had remained silent nearly all of the meeting, so his sudden input had surprised most of the girls.

"What do you mean by training journeys, Ranma?" Chizuko asked. The truth was, she knew through ear that Ranma and his father were notorious for going on short intense trips through the wilderness to hone their martial arts skills. She was curious to see how he could relate these adventures to help his teammates.

He looked at his adviser with a plain expression on his face. "I mean a trip outta the city to strengthen ourselves both physically and mentally," he explained. "My pops and I used to go on them all the time. They're really good for gettin' and stayin' in shape." He looked over to his wife seated next to him. "Akane and I have gone on a few recently. She can tell ya personally how effective they are."

Akane smiled and nodded. "It's true," she admitted, "It's a hard couple of days, but you come back feeling stronger than ever." She looked over at Ranma. "It has been a while since our last trip though."

Ranma nodded in agreement. "It's been a while," he said. "That's why I think it's a good idea. It'll help us keep in shape."

The others around the room all contemplated the idea. Some of them had trained with Ranma and Akane in the past and knew how difficult it could be to keep up with the martial artist couple. However, none of them had ever gone with the two on a training journey out of town. They had only heard the 'horror' stories from the two.

Makoto was the first to pipe up. "Sounds great to me!" she exclaimed happily. "I've always wanted to go on a training trip into the mountains." She looked at Ranma with an incredibly wide grin. "But you gotta keep your promise to teach me the Bakusai Tenketsu!"

Ranma chuckled at the brunettes enthusiasm. "O'course," he assured her, "I'll do my best to teach it to ya."

The other girls around the table, including Rei, smiled at their friend's jubilation. Unlike the brunette, however, they still had some doubts regarding the training journey. Makoto was easily the most physically fit and active amongst them. Even Minako, who loved playing sports, knew she would have trouble keeping up with a martial arts style training regiment.

"Do you really think one of those training journeys could help us?" Usagi asked. Ranma noticed the warring emotions within her eyes. He could tell that on one hand, Usagi hated the idea of such a physically taxing mission, but on the other hand, she had steely resolve to try to fix her flaws.

Ranma smiled at his friend and teammate. "I really do, Usagi. I know it'll be really hard for y'all to deal with the high amounts of physical work, seeing as most of ya don't come from a martial arts background," he admitted. "But I really do believe that each of ya has the potential to grow a lot from it."

Usagi smiled brightly. "Well then count me in!" she called out excitedly. She quickly retreated to a more modest demeanor and looked pleadingly at Ranma. "Just go easy on me, okay?"

Ranma shook his head but smiled. "Sorry, no can do. It's gonna be all or nothing." Usagi whimpered but nodded her head in understanding.

With Usagi's acceptance of the proposed idea, the others found themselves a lot more comfortable with the thought. If their bubbly leader was willing to push herself to the limit, they had to be too. Ami, however, had one major, at least in her mind, issue with the idea.

"What about school?" she asked with concern. "We're reaching the end of our senior year, and we can't afford to miss full days of classes.," she frowned. "I know that becoming stronger to fight the youma is important, but so is our educational future!"

"On top of that," Chizuko suddenly added, "I have another concern." She glanced at Ranma before continuing. "I considered the idea of a training regiment for the girls, however, I'm worried that subjecting them to such a strenuous trip could inhibit their ability to fight if the youma decide to invade during the regiment." The sun hawk looked sadly towards the floor. "We can't afford to have all the Senshi be vulnerable until we know how often the enemy forces will attack."

Everyone around the room looked disappointed and sad. Both Ami and Chizuko had very valid points. There was certainly a very hefty risk to both the city, themselves, and their educational status if they chose to go on this journey.

Ranma straightened himself up. "I think I can solve both of those problems," he stated proudly. "We can split everyone up into two or maybe even three groups," he explained, then grew thoughtful. "I would have to go on each trip since I'll be the one training them." He glanced over at his wife. "And I think Akane should go on each one too. I'll need her help to train them."

Akane swelled with pride at the mention of being an instructor alongside Ranma. She returned her husband's glance and added an increasingly warm smile. Ranma, in turn, returned that smile, a blush appearing on his cheeks. He shook his mind of cob webs and turned back to Chizuko and Ami.

"If we split the rest of the group, a small force can stay here in case of an attack," he pointed out. "As for school, we can do a condensed training trip, only three days in length." He glanced over each member of the team, silently assessing them in his mind. "I know for a fact all of you can make a lot of progress with just a few days of training."

Ranma looked at Ami. "We can take each trip over the weekend so we don't miss too much school," he offered, "Each trip will have'ta miss one day though, either Friday or Monday."

Chizuko and Ami looked at each other. Ami considered Ranma's proposition before hesitantly nodding. "I suppose one missed day of class shouldn't have too much of a negative effect." She paused as something crossed her mind. "But that means you and Akane will be missing two days each with this plan," she pointed out. "I'll expect you both to willing to have an extra tutoring session with me to make up for it."

Ranma grimaced at the thought of having to do extra tutoring work. He glanced over to Akane, who smiled and nodded back at him. Ranma turned back to Ami and sighed, "Fine, fine. We'll take the lesson."

"In that case," Ami said, smiling wryly at Ranma, "I think the proposed plan is acceptable." She looked over to Chizuko.

The orange bird nodded after some deliberation. "While I'm not the most optimistic about splitting the team up during such a crucial moment, I have to admit I'm curious to see how such a condensed training regiment could impact the girl's performance." Chizuko smiled in acceptance. "So, I'm on board. However," she continued, "I will be going on each journey to advise and criticize. Is that acceptable?"

Ranma nodded immediately in response. "O'course, Chizuko. You do seem to know yer stuff when it comes to tactics and training," he happily admitted, "So I'd love to get your opinions, and I'm sure the girls will too." Chizuko looked away from the pig-tailed boy in embarrassment from the compliment.

Luna jumped up onto the table and walked towards the center, causing Ranma to flinch. "It sounds like a plan then," she stated. "Ranma, I'll leave the planning up to you and Akane." She glanced at the couple. "Please do let Artemis, Chizuko, and myself know when you have formulated a tentative schedule. We'll need to figure out who will be going on which trips." Ranma nervously nodded in acknowledgment.

"Um," Midori suddenly piped up, "I was wondering if perhaps we could go too," she shyly asked. "That is, Usa and I."

The pink haired future girl nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we'd both love to train with you guys out in the field," she declared. "If you'll have us."

While Ranma looked immediately ready to accept, Chizuko had some reserves. She looked at the two after a small time of thought. "Very well," she said, "After all, you two saved the team. It's only fair to consider you part of it as well." She received two very bright smiles in response.

"However," the sun hawk continued. She pointed at the gray-pink moon cat seated on the futon next to Artemis. "I'm afraid I have some issues with her joining on an intense training regiment. The wilderness is no place for a kitten, moon cat or not."

Diana blushed brightly and was about to retort when Luna interjected for her. "That won't be an issue," she affirmed, "Diana will be staying with Artemis and I." She received a silent 'thank you' from her future daughter.

Luna smiled back at the future cat before addressing the rest of the team. "With that out of the way," she began, "We have a few more issues we need to discuss before we end the meeting."

Minako sat up and looked at the black cat, "And those are?" she asked.

"Firstly," Luna said. She glanced over at Rei, who now properly sat up against the wall. "You, young lady, need to get some rest," she declared. "As of now, you are not to engage in any battles with the youma, should they arise."

Rei quickly retorted, "But that's not fair! I have to be with the others in case Meatball Head-" she cut herself off, both from the mental pain of realizing she had just insulted Usagi again, as well as the physical pain from leaning forward and aggravating one of her wounds. Usagi frowned momentarily from the implied insult, but her sadness was quickly replaced with concern for her friend's pain.

"That's exactly why I'm prohibiting you from battling, Rei," Luna pointed out. "Besides, your trip with your grandfather is at the end of the week." The cat's face showed heartfelt concern for the ebony-haired miko. "You need to rest up and heal as quickly as possible so your grandfather won't be suspicious. Because of both of those reasons, I'll be scheduling you to go on the latter training mission."

Rei still looked adamant about her position but was forced to back down when Ranma acknowledged Luna's point. "She's right, Rei," he stated, "You'll need to be at your peak to handle the training I have in mind." He smiled at his friend, "Just relax for a bit. Enjoy the time off." The miko sighed, but had to accept it.

"That takes care of the first issue," Luna continued. "My second concern is regarding the others who aren't here," she stated disappointingly. "I've gotten used to Pluto's... attendance, and I'm even against placing Saturn on the battlefield, but the others' willingness to cooperate with us has diminished significantly over the past months."

Artemis nodded sadly in agreement. "With a possible inter-dimensional war beginning, we really need each and every Senshi we can get," he proclaimed as he grew thoughtful. "We need someone to talk to them and see if we can convince them to be more of a presence on the team." He added, "That goes for Ganymede and Callisto as well."

Usa suddenly shot up. "Ganymede and Callisto are awakened now?" she nearly shouted. She received a multitude of nods from the startled girls around her. Usa relaxed slightly. "I guess that makes sense," she considered. The pink-haired girl began giggling in giddiness, "I definitely want to see them!" she declared.

Midori smiled and nodded, "Same here," she laughed, "I'm curious to see how different they are."

"Ahem," Luna cleared her throat. The two future girls immediately ceased their laughing. Luna had a serious look on her face. "I'm sure you'll have a chance to see them. IF we can get them to show up to a battle, let alone a meeting."

"Why don't I go talk to Michiru and Haruka?" Usagi offered. "I feel like maybe I can convince them to join us more." The blonde looked over to her future daughter. "Usa, why don't you join me?" she asked and smiled, "You, Setsuna, and Hotaru have always had a very good relationship."

Usa looked dejected for a slight moment, but quickly nodded to her mother. "Yeah, sure," she said. "I was kinda hoping to go see Ganymede and Callisto, but you're right. Perhaps I should talk to Hotaru and Setsuna."

"As for Ukyo and Konatsu," Akane interjected, "They told Ranma and I that they'd arrive as soon as they could close the shop." She looked down at the table. "It has to be hard for them to be available constantly with them having to run their business." She glanced in her husband's direction and smiled sadly. "Ranma and I will go talk to them. Maybe we can figure something out so that they can help out more often."

Ranma and Luna nodded simultaneously. "That sounds good to me," the black cat said. "That just leaves us with one remaining issue." She looked directly at Midori and Usa. "Where will you two be staying during your presence here?"

Usa and Midori looked at each other, silently contemplating Luna's question. Usa was about to open her mouth when her mother interrupted.

"Uh-uh, no way your brainwashing my family to believe that you're BOTH my cousins," she proclaimed. "One of you is plenty enough, and I don't want you breaking my parent's minds." Midori looked away shyly, while Usa tried her hardest to restrain a chuckle.

"How about Midori stays with us?" Akane offered. Ranma nearly screamed out, "What?", while Midori suddenly began choking on the tea she had just taken a sip of.

Akane looked at Ranma annoyed. "I don't see why it would be an issue," she proclaimed, "We have plenty of space at the house, and your mother already knows about our identities. We won't even have to make up some story for her," Akane said, indicating to Midori with her thumb.

"Maybe not for mom," Ranma replied hastily, "But if any of your family other then Kasumi come over, we'll have to come up with something."

Akane shook her head. "If that does become an issue, we can think of something then," she stated.

With Midori's esophagus now freed from her choking torment, she quickly interjected. "Now, now, really, don't worry about it," she stammered out. "I can find somewhere else to stay."

"Nonsense!" Akane exclaimed. "I insist you stay with us. Mother's been staying with my family at the dojo more and more often these days, so it'll be nice to have another girl in the house."

"It sounds like everything's worked out then," Luna announced before Midori or Ranma could raise any more arguments. "Well then," she said, "I believe we've covered everything that needs mentioning at the current time." The black cat thought carefully, and then looked over to Artemis and Chizuko. The other two advisers both nodded back to Luna.

The moon cat stood up and began her conclusion of the meeting. "Very well, then I suppose that just about covers it all," she announced. She glanced over to Usagi. "Please don't forget to go talk to the Outers, Usagi. The same goes for you two with Ganymede and Callisto," she said, indicating to Akane and Ranma.

Akane and Usa both nodded back to Luna. "Don't worry," Usa cheerily replied, "I'll make sure mom gets there!" Her smile brightened even further at her mother's groan.

"Ranma and I will probably head to Ucchan's on our way back to the dojo tonight," Akane announced. "We're still supposed to be there for dinner." She looked over to Midori. "It looks like we may need to make up a story for you after all," she smiled. "I hope you don't mind being dragged across the city to meet my family." Midori hesitantly shook her head.

Luna smiled and then turned her attention to the pig-tailed martial artist. "Ranma, please don't forget to come up with a detailed schedule for these training journeys," she reminded him. "And also, please make sure you account for Rei being on the latter trip." Ranma skittishly nodded in reply.

"And as for you, young lady," Luna continued, now looking directly at the aforementioned miko, "I'm serious. No more fighting, or exercise of any sort," she commanded, "You need your rest. Enjoy your vacation with your grandfather to its fullest."

Rei looked dejectedly at Luna. "Fine, I get it," she sighed. "I'll just lie in bed bored for the next few days."

"Don't worry, Rei. I'll come visit you every day until you leave on your trip," Minako cheerily said.

Makoto began rising from her seat at the table. "Yeah, I'll bake you something extra delicious in school just to help you get back on the right track," she smiled proudly.

"I'll make sure to stop by your school and collect your missed assignments," Ami happily offered. "In case you don't feel well enough to attend, that is." At this, Rei tried her hardest to put on her best fake smile. She definitely wasn't as excited by Ami's offer as she was with the others', but she didn't want to offend her.

"Don't worry about Usagi," Usa proclaimed. "I'll make sure she stays out of trouble while you're recovering."

The blonde twin-tailed girl huffed up from her daughter's statement. "Come on, brat! Knock it off! I'm more then capable of speaking for myself," she whined. The mother-daughter pair both stuck their tongues out at each other in a raspberry. Rei couldn't help but laugh at their antics.

As everyone packed up their belongings and readied themselves to depart, Luna quickly reminded the group, "Remember, this could be the start of something big. Always be ready and have your communicators active at all times." She received a mumbled ovation of acknowledgment.

With the meeting finally adjourned, everyone said their temporary goodbyes to each other, wished Rei a fast recovery, and departed the shrine, traveling their separate ways. Usagi, Usa, and Diana headed towards the blonde's house to get the two future visitors set up. Minako and Makoto both left together in the direction of their respective domiciles. Luna, Artemis, Chizuko, Ami, and Rei remained at the shrine to wrap up the post-meeting and discuss further plans. The advisers would catch up with their respective partners after they finished, while Ami would head back to her mother's place. Of course, they would make sure that Rei was well taken care of and condemned to bed until her grandfather and Yuuichirou returned. Finally, Ranma, Akane, and a somewhat reluctant Midori went behind the nearby shack on the shrine grounds in order to leave in a less traditional way.

"Ugh, my legs are killing me," Ranma said as he stretched his limbs out. "That meeting was way too long."

Akane knowingly smiled at him. "Agreed, but I guess it was necessary in order for us to discuss everything." She glanced behind her to look at their guest. "So, Midori. I heard you say you knew Ukyo and Konatsu, or at least their Senshi forms," she smiled goofily. "Are you excited to meet them here in the present?"

Midori smiled timidly. "Yeah, I am. They're a load of fun in my time, but Ukyo always tells me how much different she was back in... well, now." She scrunched up her face in confusion at the end of her statement.

"Oh, really?" Akane asked curiously. "Now I'm intrigued." She smiled wryly at Midori.

"Sorry," the future girl chuckled. "I really can't tell you anything about the future. Time laws and all that nonsense." She rolled her eyes at some private thought.

The trio arrived behind the shed. There was no one left at the shrine other than their teammates who stayed behind with Rei, but 'better safe than sorry' was the policy that the Saotome's followed in regards to teleportation.

Akane poked her husband, both verbally and physically. "Alright, taxi-cab," she taunted. "One trip to Nerima please!"

Ranma looked at his wife with very obvious annoyance in his eyes. It was a sight that satisfied Akane. "Yeah, yeah," the pig-tailed boy sighed. "All aboard the Sun express." He pulled out his transformation wand from subspace and, in the most dreary tone he could possibly speak in, called out his transformation phrase.

After the quick trademarked light show, a very bored Sailor Sun held out her gloved hands. "Alright, link up," she stated.

Akane, still very giddy from teasing her husband, quickly grabbed one of the Solar Senshi's hands. She looked over at Midori. "You may want to consider transforming," she offered. "Sun's transport has been known to be one bumpy ride for normal humans."

Midori shook her head and smiled, simultaneously grabbing Sun's other hand. "Nah, I'm actually really used to the Sun Beam Transport," she proclaimed. "It really doesn't bother me anymore, in either form."

Akane raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so Sun still makes a great taxi in the future, eh?" she said teasingly. Sun merely groaned in response.

"Yeah," Midori laughed, "You could say that."

Akane burst out laughing. "Wonderful," she gasped between her laughing fits, "I'm sure she's got quite the phenomenal record of satisfied customers after all those years." The short-haired girl turned to her now female husband. "Alright then, take up to Nerima, Jeeves. Chop chop!"

"Ha. Ha. Ha," Sun said sarcastically, "Now if you're both done, Sun Beam Transport!" she called out, and the trio immediately disappeared in a flash.

* * *

Author's Notes:  
Almost five whole weeks since the last chapter. I'm so sorry! I really have no good excuse, but I hope this extra-long chapter will appease your burning wrath. Hopefully the next chapter won't have quite so long of a hiatus, there's still such a long way to go. I'll try to get these chapters up as quick as I can, and I apologize in advance if you find yourselves waiting again.

Next chapter, we'll see a glimpse of some of the Senshi's everyday lives, and maybe learn a little more about the _mysterious_ Midori._  
_


	8. Chapter Seven: Family

Soluna – Volume One

Chapter Seven: Family

By Saarth'ir

Based on the "Sailor Ranko" series, started by Duncan Zillman, and continued by Kevin D. Hammel, Arthur Hansen, and Rebecca Heineman. "Sailor Ranko" is, in turn based on the series "Sailor Moon" by Naoko Takeuchi and "Ranma 1/2" by Rumiko Takahashi. Therefore, many of these characters are owned and copyrighted by their respective owners. So, with that out of the way, enjoy!

* * *

The last vestiges of day made way for the cover of dusk at an increasing rate. However, the sun was not quite ready to give up its firm grasp on the day. It would still be another couple of hours before the rotating Earth would thrust the sun's dominance out from the sky, and make way for the moon to take its place.

The temperature all around Juuban had finally settled to a very comfortable warmth. A second wind of human life now flourished throughout the city. With the alarm of invading youma over, many denizens of the city ward returned to the outdoors to finish whatever tasks for the day they had left. Among these people, two very identical girls and their gray-pink cat walked down a road towards the more residential section of the district.

Usagi silently assessed the girl walking next to her. She remarked to herself how similar her future daughter was, and yet, how different she was at the same time. It was almost eerie to the twin-tailed blonde how much Usa looked like her, especially compared to how she used to look. Sure, the last time Usa had shown up, she appeared to be a similar age to Usagi, but every time before that, the pink-haired girl had been just a small child. _Time sure is a weird thing, _Usagi thought to herself.

Usa took notice of Usagi's staring and addressed her mother, "You alright, mom?" she asked worriedly.

Usagi caught herself and shook her head quickly before taking her eyes off Usa. "I'm fine," she quickly reassured the pink-haired girl. "Sorry, I just couldn't help but notice how much you've grown."

"Oh," Usa responded. She looked confused but blushed slightly. "I mean, the last time I was here was less than a year ago," she remarked. "I couldn't have changed that much."

The blonde smiled. "No, not so much since that time," she said as she looked up towards the sky. "But definitely since that first time you showed up."

Usa's blush intensified in color. "Yeah, I suppose I have," she admitted. "There was a pretty long gap between the time I made my first debut here as Chibi-Moon and the last time I showed up." She looked over to her mother and smiled. "Plenty of time for a girl to grow up!" she proclaimed.

Usagi nodded understandingly. "I'll say," she agreed, "But for us, it was only a couple years."

The pink-haired girl sighed. "Yes, I suppose it was relatively short for you all, wasn't it?" she asked. The future girl held her chin in thought. "I still don't understand how the time ways work completely, and Pluto won't explain it in detail to me." She shrugged. Usagi offered a silent nod, but otherwise kept quiet.

The two girls took the final bend before arriving at the street that Usagi's family home was seated on. They both smiled at the sight of the house. Usagi was happy to finally be able to come home after such a long and busy day. Usa, on the other hand, was giddy for another reason.

"I'm excited to see Grandma and Grandpa again," she proclaimed energetically. "Oh, and Uncle Shingo too, of course!" Usagi just glanced at the other girl with a hint of annoyance in her gaze.

"Oh right," Usa reminded herself aloud, "I mean Aunt Ikuko, Uncle Kenji, and Cousin Shingo."

Usagi still wasn't satisfied. "You're going to have to brainwash them again, aren't you?" She squinted her eyes at her companion. "I've never actually been around to see you do it though. Just how do you do it?"

Usa grinned sinisterly and snapped her fingers. A strange black orb floated down from the sky and approached the future girl. It had an eerily similar face to Luna's, but there was something very synthetic about it.

The pink-haired girl held out her hand expectantly and commanded, "Luna-P, umbrella!" The strange floating cat head opened its mouth and began shifting in shape. It folded in on itself in seemingly impossible ways, until a standard red and white umbrella stood in its place. Usa grabbed the umbrella and hefted it over her shoulder, rifle style. "With this," she proudly declared to her mother.

Usagi stood dumbfounded with her mouth agape. Come to think of it, she recalled seeing that umbrella near the coat rack the last time Usa had arrived. Of course, it had suddenly vanished when the future girl had finished her objective and left from the present.

"So that's it," Usagi said, squinting her eyes. "You sneaky little weasel."

Usa just gave the largest cheshire grin she possibly could. "Hey, we can't have them finding out about me, now can we?" Usa asked sarcastically. "Just what would your parents think if they found out their daughter was a teenage mother?"

At that remark, Usagi's face blew up a bright red. She obviously struggled with herself whether to pull her own hair out, or try to strangle her future daughter. Usa couldn't help but burst out laughing at her mother's antics.

The two girls walked passed the outer wall of the house property and approached the door. Usagi managed to recompose herself before opening the door and announcing her arrival.

"I'm home!" she shouted out. Even before receiving a response, the blonde girl strode inside and began taking off her shoes.

"Welcome home, Usagi," a soprano voice called out from the foyer. "You sure are late coming home, long day?" the voice asked.

Usagi responded to her mother. "Mhm, I was uh..." she thought for a second, "With Rei and the others at her shrine." It really wasn't a lie. The sound of soft footsteps increased in volume as someone approached.

Usa slowly walked inside and readied her umbrella. She had to be ready to quickly apply the hypnotizing technique before Usagi's family noticed anything awry.

"I see, I hope all the girls are doing well," Ikuko Tsukino commented as she turned the corner to the entry way. "Anyways, go get changed! Dinner's on it's- Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed as she found the sight of two nearly identical girls.

Usa quickly held the umbrella upwards, with the tip pointing towards Usagi's mother, but before she could proceed any further with the process, Ikuko lunged forward towards her.

"Oh, Usa, you're back!" she exclaimed as she grasped the pink-haired girl in a large hug, subsequently pushing the umbrella out of the way. Usa stood still, paralyzed in shock, and Usagi watched from the side with a similar expression.

Ikuko withdrew from the hug and held the younger girl out by her shoulders. "Oh, Usa, I was so worried about you after you vanished suddenly!" Her eyes were growing increasingly watery as she looked at Usa. "When I called my sister to see if you had gone home, she kept insisting that she didn't have a daughter named Usa." Ikuko huffed up. "Can you believe that, joking about her daughter missing?"

The older woman appraised both girls, "I'm so glad you found her, Usagi," she told her daughter. She quickly turned around to head back into the house. "I'll go let Kenji and Shingo know you're here. Come into the living room when you get your shoes off." With that, the Tsukino matron quickly left the two bewildered girls standing in the entryway.

Usagi leaned over to the still very shocked Usa with an annoyed expression on her face. "What in the world was that about?" she asked accusingly. "Did you forget to reverse the brainwashing before you left last time?"

The pink-haired girl slowly shook her head. "I... I," she stuttered, "I really don't know. I thought I did." Usa grew increasingly worried. "Oh man, I hope I didn't forget anything else important." At that, Usagi gulped.

Usa leaned down and took off her shoes before grabbing the umbrella that she dropped. "Well, I guess I won't be needing this after all," she stated plainly, staring at the seemingly normal weather protector. She looked over at Usagi, who nodded, and the two entered into the house properly.

The two girls turned the corner into the living room, where the rest of the family was seated. Shingo immediately shot up when he saw them enter and lunged at Usa, embracing her in a strong hug.

"I'm so glad your back, Usa!" he exclaimed. "I was really worried about you, and worried that I'd be stuck with dumbo over here without your company," he said pointing at his sister. Usagi quickly spat out a raspberry, which her brother eagerly returned.

Usagi's father, Kenji looked up from his newspaper. Even if he wasn't as quick to embrace Usa as the rest of his family was, his happiness was still very evident from his face. "I'm glad your safe, Usa. Ikuko and I were really worried about you after your mother said you weren't home," he stated.

Usa slowly nodded to both males of the family. "It's, uh," she began nervously, "It's great to be back. Sorry I worried you all."

"Oh don't worry about that dear," Ikuko snapped as she brought out a tray of tea and cookies. "We're just happy to have you back." She gave the pink-haired girl a large, motherly smile. "We left your guest room just the way it was when you disappeared, so you won't even have to unpack," she explained happily.

The matron took stock of both teenage girls. "Why don't you two head upstairs and change?" she offered. "I'll keep some tea warm for you both, and we can talk about where you ran off to."

Usagi began heading towards the stairs in acceptance of the offer, when she was nudged by Usa's elbow. "Hey, what was that for?" she quietly whined and rubbed her side.

"I'd love to explain," Usa began, "But Usagi and I actually have an important errand we have to run before it gets too late." The aforementioned blonde just stared at her confused. Usa rolled her eyes and mouthed, "Outers," to her mother, at which point realization quickly dawned.

"Y-yeah," Usagi quickly acknowledged, "I almost completely forgot about that." Usa rolled her eyes a second time. She was pretty sure Usagi was actually telling the truth there.

Ikuko looked slightly dejected but nodded. "Well alright, dears," she smiled at the two girls. "Just please don't be out too late, it's not safe, what with that youma invasion earlier today," she proclaimed worriedly.

Shingo quickly interjected. "Don't worry, mom! I just know that Sailor Moon beat the tar out of those monsters," he stated excitedly. He looked over to his sister with disappointment in his eyes. "Aww man, I wish I had a cool girl like Sailor Moon for my sister instead of blondie over here."

Usagi quickly reddened up angrily. She'd show him! Usa quickly grabbed her mother by the hand and darted towards the door, dragging a fuming Usagi with her. "Don't worry, Aunt Ikuko, we'll be careful!" she shouted as they grabbed their shoes and ran out the door.

The two girls quickly turned the corner and headed off in the direction of the small house the Outers lived at. Usagi was still fuming from her little brother's remark. "Ooooh that Shingo," she whined, "If only he knew."

"Maybe its better that he doesn't know," Usa offered. Usagi looked over at her with a confused look.

"Who knows, he may explode from the revelation that his biggest hero is actually his 'dumbo sister'," the pink-haired girl explained. Usagi couldn't help but giggle at the image forming in her head. Usa smiled at her mother's laugh.

"Come on," Usa declared as she picked up the pace, "Let's get this over with before dinner's over!" Usagi nodded in response as the two identical girls continued their run across the ward.

* * *

In an alleyway alongside a sparse Nerima street, a large flash of light suddenly appeared. Of course, no one was near the alley to see said flash, and so, the arrival of the three girls which followed the display of luminance went unnoticed. One final dazzling light show later, and the three girls exited from the alleyway, but not before checking that the coast was clear.

"Couldn't you have picked a slightly nicer place for us to land?" Akane grimaced as she carefully removed a piece of garbage from her shoe.

Ranma looked at her wife in annoyance. "You know better than that," she stated. "The more secluded, the better." Akane merely sighed at Ranma.

"So this is Nerima, eh?" Midori suddenly spoke. She gazed around her at all the visible sights, which mostly entailed small shops, walls, and a couple of quaint homes. "It's pretty."

Akane smiled at the girl. "It's certainly a much simpler place than Juuban," she stated proudly. "At least aesthetically." Midori nodded in acknowledgment of that statement, smiling as she continued taking in the sights.

"Let's get going," Akane ordered. "Ucchan's should be right around the corner from here."

Ranma nodded quickly and began walking. "The sooner we get there, the sooner I can go back to being a guy," he sighed.

Midori quickly piped up and reached for something in her pants pocket. "Hold on," she said excitedly, "I actually have something you may like." Ranma stopped and turned to look at the girl who was still fumbling with her pocket.

"Lousy twentieth century pants pockets, where are yo- Aha!" the future girl suddenly exclaimed. She pulled out an object and held it out in the palm of her hand. Ranma and Akane both examined the object. It was shaped like a capsule pill, though slightly too large to swallow without discomfort. The two halves of the object were different colors, one red, and one blue. In the center, dividing the two halves appeared to be a ring with notches on it. The object itself was completely opaque, hiding whatever could be inside it.

"Is'at a pill or something?" Ranma asked, confused. "I mean, thanks, but I don't really have a headache or anything."

Midori smiled and shook her head. "No silly, it's not a pill. Here, look," she stated. She held the object in one hand and finagled with the center piece of the object, rotating what appeared to be a dial of some sort. After checking to make sure the ring was in the correct position, she held out the object over Ranma. An easy feat considering how short the red head was in her female form.

"You may want to close your eyes," Midori advised. Before Ranma could retort, she pressed down on the dial, causing the object to burst open. Ranma let out a small yelp as she was immersed in a warm mist. The transformation was quick enough that Ranma almost didn't notice that it had happened. A now much taller and more masculine Ranma blinked in bewilderment.

Akane stared, mouth agape at her now male husband. "What was that?" she asked in wonder.

Midori grinned as she re-pocketed the now empty canister. "That," she began, "Was a Vapotherm." She looked at her two colleagues who stared at her in confusion and laughed. "Just one of many cool devices from the future," she explained. "Basically, it has a large amount of water vapor inside which can be heated up or cooled down as necessary."

Akane nodded slowly as realization dawned. "I see," she stammered. "And why exactly did you just happen to have it on you?" she asked suspiciously.

Midori's smile remained where it was as she shrugged. "Oh, you know. Just in case," she admitted playfully. Akane put on a smirk that spoke 'oh really?' and nodded, "Mhm."

"Never mind why you have it," Ranma spoke up. "Do you got any more of those?" He asked with a childlike grin. "Maybe a couple I could have?'

Midori shook her head. "Sorry, I only brought two back with me," she stated. Ranma's face immediately fell. "Besides, I can't let you have any technology from the future." She looked away and murmured, "Also I'm pretty sure the others would flip out if they knew I brought these back at all."

The future girl looked back at the sulking boy and smiled. "Cheer up," she said, "They're refillable with water, and if you need to use them while I'm here, you're more than welcome." Ranma's face lifted slightly at that.

The three quickly continued their quick journey to Ucchan's, which was conveniently located only a couple blocks away. As they approached the restaurant, they noticed that the 'Closed' sign was planted outside. They were worried that maybe Ukyo and Konatsu had already left, but were reassured when they heard the faint sound of sweeping coming from inside.

Ranma lightly knocked on the door. "I'm sorry, we're closed early tonight!" a voice called out from inside.

"It's me, Ucchan," the pig-tailed boy responded, "Akane and I are here to check up on you two."

There was the sound of a broom being dropped and quick footsteps coming closer. A silhouette appeared behind the door and the lock started jiggling before the door slid open to reveal an obviously frazzled Ukyo.

"Oh, Ranchan!" she nearly screamed out, grabbing the pig-tailed boy in a huge hug. Akane was having serious thoughts about protesting before she too was quickly embraced by the brunette chef. "Akane, you too, I'm glad you're both alright," she breathed out a sigh of relief. "It's all over the news! Konatsu and I were trying our hardest to close up, but each time we tried, more customers would show up."

It was at this point that Ukyo noticed the third person standing slightly behind Ranma and Akane. "And who is this?" Ukyo asked, eying the girl suspiciously.

"Uh, its kinda a long story," Ranma admitted, glancing behind him to look at the mysterious girl. "Any chance we could talk about it inside?" Ukyo quickly nodded and led the three inside, locking up the door behind her.

* * *

"And so we came here as soon as the meeting finished," Akane finished explaining, as Ukyo and Konatsu nodded in understanding. The five friends were seated around the small table in Ukyo's room. Mostly empty tea cups and plates adorned the small black table, their contents having been mostly consumed over the course of the trio's explanation.

"It sounds like this could be very serious," Konatsu stated obviously. Ukyo nodded in agreement with him. "If these scouts were indeed so formidable, I fear to think how their main force might compare." All five people around the table shivered at that thought.

"If it wasn't for Midori here," Ranma began, "I dunno if we would've made it outta there today." The aforementioned girl blushed slightly at the recognition.

Akane nodded and looked at Ukyo and Konatsu. "We really need your help, you two," she said. "Everyone's in agreement that we're going to need everyone we can get for this threat."

Ukyo looked down sullenly. "I'm so sorry we weren't able to show up today," she choked out. Tears began welling in the brunette's eyes. Konatsu had a worried expression on his face and reached out to place a hand on his mistress' shoulder.

Ukyo sighed and brushed her eyes. "I sometimes wish we didn't have to run this restaurant," she stated sadly. "It makes it nearly impossible for us to be there for you all."

"Don't say that!" Ranma retorted, causing Ukyo to flinch slightly. "Ucchan, this restaurant is your legacy. You've put so much time and effort into making yerself the best chef you can be." He smiled at her warmly. "You can't have thoughts like that boggin' you down."

Ukyo felt her face heat up as she blushed from Ranma's words. _It's so nice that he cares about me, even after everything we've been through,_ she thought to herself. She peeked up and looked into his eyes, a small smile on her lips.

Ranma returned her smile with a big goofy grin. "There ya go," he chuckled, "Keep that smile up." Ukyo couldn't help but laugh at his childlike demeanor. Ranma let his huge grin shrink down back to a sincere smile and continued, "There's gotta be another way for you to manage."

Akane nodded in thought. "He's right. Maybe," she pondered, "Maybe we can help you out with the restaurant." She looked over to Ranma. "You know, help out when you need to get the shop closed up quickly." Ranma had somewhat of a scared expression on his face.

Ukyo hurriedly shook her head. "Uh-uh, no way," she stated. "I remember what happened last time I hired you both to 'help out'." She looked over at the short haired girl. "No offense, Akane. YOU did fine," she stopped and muttered under her breath, "So long as you weren't cooking anything," she then continued her thought, "But that didn't stop you three from making me shut down my store for a week."

Akane blushed in embarrassment from the memory. Shortly before she and Ranma had moved to Juuban, they had offered to help Ukyo at her restaurant while the chef was recovering from a nasty fever. With the shop left in the not-so-capable hands of Ranma, Akane, and Konatsu, things quickly went south. After a plethora of hijinks such as covering customers in raw food, poisoning the customers with Akane's cooking, and feeding the customers okonomiyaki filled with the money from the cash drawer, Ukyo promptly gave up and closed shop for the week until she was feeling better.

"We're both really sorry about that, Ukyo," the raven-haired girl offered. Her husband nodded in agreement beside her. "But I think we've all matured a great deal since then, I'm sure we'd be a lot better this time." She looked over to the pig-tailed boy. "Besides, Ranma's has much more experience now being a waiter." Ranma blanched slightly at that remark.

"That does remind me," Ukyo responded, "Don't you already have a job, Ranchan?"

The boy in question sighed and shook his head slowly. "The restaurant is still being renovated after the disaster a couple months ago," he stated sullenly. "I honestly doubt I can count on that job anymore."

Ukyo suddenly felt guilty. Here she was, denying two of her closest friends a job, when both of them were living unemployed. Sure, she knew they were both still in school like her, and that they no longer lived in an apartment they had to pay for; but still, she felt like she needed to help them out. Besides, all they truly wanted was to help her and Konatsu.

She sighed and smiled sweetly. "I guess I can offer you two a job," she stated. "Only part time though, I don't want you both to get caught up like me, without any time for Senshi business."

A huge smile appeared on Akane's face, "Thanks Ukyo!" she exclaimed, "I just know that we'll be able to work together to make everything run smoother."

Ranma sighed, still not sure whether or not he was happy about being offered a job. Nonetheless he nodded. "I suppose it would be nice to make a little money again. Thanks, Ucchan."

Ukyo smiled and nodded. "It's no problem," she said, "At least, I hope not." She glanced over to Midori who had been silently assessing the conversation. "How about you?" Ukyo asked her, "Do you need a job while you're staying here?"

Midori was slightly startled from the question. She smiled nervously. "Well, uh, I mean, that is," she stuttered hopelessly.

Ukyo gave her a comic look and spoke, "Come on, sugar. Spit it out."

The future girl blushed slightly before recollecting her thoughts. "Well, I really don't have any use for yen," she admitted, "But I also wasn't planning on doing anything productive while I was here." She thought for a second. "Other than Senshi duties, of course."

The young chef appraised her, a smirk on her face. "Is that a yes, or a no?" she joked.

Midori considered the prospect for a few more moments before answering, "Eh, why not? Count me in, if you'll have me."

Ukyo smiled and gave Midori a thumbs-up. "Sounds good to me," she said, "Consider yourself hired. Since you're not going to school, I may even make you a full time." She was impressed by the other girl's on-a-whim decision, and suspected that she may have an ulterior motive. Either way, Ukyo was honestly happy to have all three of them working for her.

She looked at each of her three new hires. "Honestly, thank you all," she said sincerely. "Konatsu and I really do want to be there for everyone, and we appreciate everyone's understanding." She smiled warmly. "I'm sure with you three helping us, we'll be able to show up more often." She held up her fist. "I know I sure am ready to kick some youma butt," she declared, which Konatsu promptly agreed with. Ukyo looked directly at Ranma. "Now about that training journey..."

* * *

Ranma, Akane, and Midori walked down the suburban streets of Nerima. The sun was finally setting over the horizon and the cool embrace of dusk washed over the city. Each member of the trio was thinking about the day's events, and specifically the happenings with Ukyo and Konatsu.

The chef had insisted on joining the group for the planned training journeys. Both of them, in fact. When questioned about closing her shop, she waved them off, saying it was fine to close for two weekends. She really felt she had to make it up to everyone and wanted to help them train. She also wanted some training from Ranma as well.

The trio continued walking in silence, when a bicycle flew by and caught Ranma's attention. He quickly turned around and called out to the white-robed rider, "Yo, Mousse!".

The cyclist quickly stopped and turned to face who called him out. "Who's there?" he asked blindly. "Is that you Mr. Pu? I already told you I would hurry the delivery!" he exclaimed, holding out the ramen delivery container he was grasping. "Wait, when did you learn how to speak proper Japanese?"

Ranma walked up to the Chinese boy irritated. "Put on your glasses, duck boy," he teased. Sure enough, the boy's signature glasses were adorning his forehead instead of his eyes.

Mousse quickly plucked down his glasses onto his face and looked closely at the one approaching him. "Oh, it's just you, Ranma," he confirmed in boredom, "And Akane as well. What are you two doing here in Nerima?"

"Visiting the folks mostly," Ranma stated. He looked at Mousse in confusion. "Never mind that. I'm honestly surprised to see you here. I thought you'd end up staying in China with the others."

The Chinese boy shook his head, causing his glasses to nearly fly off his face. "Only the old monkey chose to stay in China," he revealed. "She insisted that we come back to Japan until the restaurant could be closed proper." He definitely looked annoyed with that decision.

Akane quickly approached Mousse. "Does that mean Shampoo is here too?" she asked worriedly. Mousse noted that her voice held sincere concern, surprising him that the short haired girl would be worried about her rival. Behind Ranma and Akane, no one noticed that Midori had grown wide-eyed at Akane's question.

Mousse acknowledged Akane's question. "She is," he stated. "She's back at the cafe right now."

Ranma chose to stay quiet while Akane continued. "So you two are managing the restaurant by yourselves?" she asked with concern. "Are you doing alright?"

"We're doing... alright," Mousse replied. "We're not on our own, the old crone left Shampoo's father here to monitor us," he informed them. His distaste for the elder man was obvious. "I have recovered fully. Shampoo has mostly recovered, however, she's very... empty," he said sadly. "If you'll excuse me, I have to finish this delivery before the old man comes barking." Before anyone could object, the robed boy turned his bike back around and prepared to ride off. He quickly glanced back to the couple. "It's good to see you both again," he said, letting a small smile through. With that the sometimes-duck rode off.

Akane looked over to Ranma with a sad expression on her face. He sighed to her, causing her to look down towards the ground. She was truly worried about Shampoo, something that she never thought she would ever admit to herself. The past year had really jumbled up Ranma and Akane's relationship with the Chinese girl.

Shampoo had not taken the couple's decision to marry lightly. Unlike Ukyo, who eventually reconciled with herself and accepted defeat, Shampoo was far too lost in her quest for Ranma's love. Even after being soundly defeated one on one by Akane, she would not accept the loss. Eventually, the couple had to force Shampoo to back down by threatening her and her village under the guise of their Senshi forms, something they both regretted deeply. While this seemingly worked, with Shampoo attempting to make friends with both Ranma and Akane, they could tell she did not take it well. The normally bubbly girl had withdrawn into a deep depression and was never quite as lively as she once was.

To make matters worse, she was eventually called back to Nyucheizu by the Joketsuzoku council. Due to her multiple failures of making Ranma her husband, the amazon elder, Gel, insisted the young woman be tried and punished according to their laws. In truth, Gel was using Shampoo's trial as a distraction to hide her goal of taking over the Joketsuzoku through a coup. A goal which ultimately failed amidst the chaos of the skirmish between the Phoenix People of Ho'o Peak, the Musk Dynasty, the Joketsuzoku, and the Senshi.

During the battle, Shampoo was rescued by Ranma and Akane, eliminating the sole bargaining chip Gel had against the rest of the elder council. Her rescue bolstered Shampoo's relationship with both Ranma and Akane. Unfortunately, the traumatic experience she underwent left her with a bitter disposition towards the Senshi, specifically Sun and Io, who she blamed for everything that had happened to her; as well as her own tribe, whom she felt betrayed by.

Ranma and Akane decided to quickly leave after the chaotic battle had concluded and order was restored in Nyucheizu. They sadly felt that they should distance themselves from Shampoo. The couple was afraid what it would do to the poor girl if she eventually found out their identities. After returning to Tokyo, they assumed that Shampoo, Mousse, and Cologne chose to remain in China, to help rebuild the village. Apparently, they were wrong.

"It wasn't right of us to have left without saying goodbye," Akane said solemnly. She stared at the tips of her shoes, arguing with herself internally about whether or not to say more.

Ranma just sighed, causing Akane to look at him. "We did what we had to," he stated. "We thought she'd be staying in China, building herself a new life." He rubbed the back of his head.

Akane slowly nodded. The two of them stood still and silent for quite a while. Midori, who had remained quiet since Mousse's appearance merely shifted her gaze between the two. There was something that didn't quite add up in her mind.

Ranma eventually turned to face the direction the group was originally heading and began walking. "Come on, we don't wanna be late," he said plainly. After looking back to see Akane's expression, he sighed and added, "Maybe we'll go visit her sometime, how about that?" Akane visibly brightened up at that thought and nodded, quickly following after Ranma and Midori.

* * *

The sounds of culinary chaos could be heard emanating from the kitchen of the Tendo household. Plates and platters clattered around as the two busy inhabitants of the room worked tirelessly to prepare dinner. While such an event was normal for the anything-but-normal household, tonight, extra effort was being placed into the preparation of the meal. With the rather sudden announcement that an extra guest would be arriving for dinner, Nodoka Saotome and Kasumi Tendo worked quickly and effectively to update the menu.

Nodoka silently wondered to herself as she placed the finishing touches on the salad she was making. For the past few hours, she had been extremely worried about her son and his wife, after the news had reported that a youma invasion had taken place. While there was no confirmation that the Senshi were involved, it was highly speculated. At this information, both Nodoka and Kasumi waited with bated breath for word from the martial artist couple. Their worry was quickly replaced with relief when Nodoka received a call from Ranma later in the evening.

Ranma had called from Ucchan's before they left, and assured his worried mother that he and Akane were fine. He also informed her that they were bringing an extra guest to dinner. Ranma explained that this guest, Midori, would need an alibi for the fathers, and that she was a 'co-worker'. Nodoka eventually agreed to play along with Ranma and Akane's request, but only after they promised to explain everything to her and Kasumi when they had some privacy.

Nodoka was brought out of her recollection when she heard Kasumi ask her something. "I'm sorry, dear, what was that?" she asked quickly.

"I was just asking if you could pass the rosemary, mother," Kasumi repeated. "I'm almost ready to place this in the oven. I just need to put on the last bit of garnish," she said, indicating to the seafood dish on the counter.

Nodoka grabbed the jar of rosemary and handed it to her daughter-in-law. She gazed over the dish Kasumi was preparing. "That looks wonderful, Kasumi, dear," she smiled. "About how long do you plan to bake it for?"

"Oh, no more than forty minutes," Kasumi replied while taking the rosemary from Nodoka's hand. She uncapped the jar and applied a respectable amount of the herb to the fish. "I figure we could have it for the main course, after all the appetizers have been eaten," she said with her signature serene smile gracing her face.

Nodoka nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds perfect, Kasumi." The Saotome matriarch glanced around the room at the meal they had been preparing and placed a finger on her chin. "I hope we prepared enough food. I'm sure Ranma and Akane are quite hungry, and knowing their friends, I wonder if this guest of theirs is quite voracious as well."

Kasumi just smiled at the elder woman. "I'm sure it will be fine, mother," she assured her, while placing her dish into the oven.

Both women perked up when they heard the front door slide open, followed by a call of "We're home!" Kasumi quickly closed the oven and removed her mitts to wash her hands, while Nodoka replied to the new arrivals' announcement. The two ladies hurried out of the kitchen to greet their guests. As they arrived at the entryway, they were greeted by the site of Ranma and Akane removing their shoes, along with a third, unfamiliar girl.

Akane quickly threw her shoes off and ran up to her big sister, embracing her in a warm hug, which Kasumi happily returned in earnest. "It's good to see you, Kasumi!" she said delightfully, before releasing her sister from her grasp.

Kasumi smiled gracefully at her little sister. "It's really good to see you too, Akane." she happily responded. She then turned her gaze to Ranma and his mother, who in the meantime had also greeted each other with a set of hugs. "And you too, brother," she giggled. Kasumi had really taken a liking to calling the pig-tailed boy her sibling ever since he officially joined the family. "I hope you've been well."

Ranma nodded and hugged Kasumi in greeting. "I can't really complain," he admitted. "Sorry, we don't get to come over too often these days. Everything okay with you?"

The elder Tendo nodded and offered her signature smile. "Of course, everything's been just wonderful." Ranma smiled in response.

With her greetings for her son and daughter-in-law finished, Nodoka's eyes glanced over to the long-haired girl who still stood in the entryway. She smiled at the girl and said extra loudly, "Oh, Midori, how nice to see you again. It has been ages."

Midori's face grew bright red and she began panicking. "B-b-but, we've never met befo—" she tried to scream out before getting lightly nudged by Ranma's elbow. She shut her mouth and blinked in response.

Nodoka couldn't help but chuckle lightly as she approached the flustered girl. She leaned close to her and spoke lightly, "I didn't mean to confuse you. I was just putting on a show for the men, so that they don't ask too many questions." She winked at Midori. "Ranma already told me you'd be coming."

The future girl quietly nodded and looked over to Kasumi. The brunette offered her an incredibly warm smile and a nod. Midori blushed lightly and nodded back to her. "It's nice to meet you both," she said quietly. "I'm Midori, a, uh, friend of Ranma and Akane's."

The Saotome matriarch embraced the girl in a hug, slightly startling her. Nodoka released her grasp and addressed her children. "Let's head to the living room," she offered. "Your fathers seem to be too caught up in their shogi game to come to greet their children." She shook her head and looked back to their mysterious guest. "Midori, if they ask, you're the daughter of a long time friend of mine who goes to the same school as them." Nodoka smiled sinisterly. "It's somewhat fun to trick the men, and we don't want them discovering Ranma and Akane's secret."

Midori nodded quaintly and followed Ranma and Akane, who in turn, followed Nodoka and Kasumi. The long-haired girl glanced around the house in wonder as they walked through the main corridor. She took in all the sights with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. As they came around the corner and entered the main living room, they were greeted by an already set table, with an extra spot included, and the two men sitting nearby playing a "competitive" game of shogi.

"Can't even come to the door to greet your daughter, dad?" Akane asked with a smug look on her face. Soun Tendo quickly got the message and got up from his game, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. While he was distracted with his daughter, Genma Saotome quickly moved the various pieces on the board, setting up a clear advantage for himself.

"I'm sorry, dear," Soun said apologetically. The Tendo patriarch quickly gave his youngest daughter a hug and kiss on the cheek. Akane smiled contently. "It's no problem at all, dad. It's good to see you," she stated warmly, returning the sentiment. After breaking apart, Soun grasped and squeezed Ranma's shoulder. "It's good to see you too, son."

Ranma smiled back, and turned his attention to his own father, still sitting at the shogi board. "Hey pop, you winnin'?" he asked with a smug smirk. He knew better then to expect a warm welcome from his 'dear old dad', and honestly, he was used to it by now. "Hush boy, I'm concentrating," Genma responded strictly, to which Ranma just chuckled.

Soun took notice of the shy girl standing slightly behind Ranma and Akane. "And who's this?" he asked. "I heard murmurings that we'd be having an extra guest tonight." He walked up to the girl and introduced himself warmly. "I'm Soun Tendo, Akane's father, and head of the dojo here. I'm guessing you're one of Akane and Ranma's friends?"

Midori was about to respond but was beaten to the punch by Nodoka. "This is Midori," the Saotome matriarch explained while indicating to the young woman. "She's the daughter of a friend of mine. It turns out she goes to Juuban High with Ranma and Akane." Nodoka smiled sincerely. She felt somewhat bad about lying to Soun, but she had to uphold her son and daughter-in-law's secrets.

"I see," Soun remarked. "Well, Midori, it's a pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Mrs. Saotome or Akane's is welcome in this house. Please make yourself at home." He bowed to her. She quickly and nervously responded in kind, causing Soun to chuckle slightly. He then turned around and returned to his place at the shogi board, groaning at Genma's passive face when he saw the state of the game.

Kasumi, who had returned to the kitchen, came back with a tray of tea and light appetizers. "Alright everyone, dinner is just about ready," she said as she individually placed each cup of tea at each place on the table. Everyone murmured their acknowledgments and began taking their seats, with the exception of Nodoka who returned to the kitchen. Midori looked slightly lost for a moment before Akane laughed and patted the spot next to her. Midori nodded and sat down by the short-haired girl.

Akane glanced at one of the empty seats. "Hey, sis, where's Nabiki?" she asked her elder sister. "She is coming, right?"

Kasumi finished dispensing the cups of tea and nodded. "She said she would be a little late, and to begin without her," she explained. She placed a hand to her cheek. "Something about business being crazy today." Kasumi gathered the tray and headed back to the kitchen to finish preparing the first course.

While the family waited for the first part of the meal to arrive, Ranma quickly helped himself to some of the pickles on the table. At least he tried to, before his chopsticks were deflected by Genma's own. Genma quickly grabbed multiple pickles at once and nearly dove to eat them. "Oh, hell no, old man! Not today!" Ranma yelled as he lunged over to try to pry the pickles away before Genma could place them in his mouth. Nodoka called out, "Language, Ranma!" from the kitchen, causing Ranma to flinch and allowing Genma to score.

Akane just sighed and shook her head. She looked over to Midori, who in turn was watching the scene enraptured. "Here," Akane said holding out the plate of pickles, and shaking Midori out of her trance. "Take some before Genma gets to them," she advised. "He's not the most polite person when it comes to guests and food." Midori simply nodded and took a few pickles, turning her attention back to the scene of Ranma and his father yelling and holding each other by the collar.

They were broken up when Kasumi and Nodoka returned carrying the first course of the meal. Genma and Ranma were both too distracted by the sight and aroma of the cooking to even consider bickering anymore. After setting the various platters down, and serving everyone, the two matriarchs of the household sat down in their spots. There was a quick call of thanks, and the feast began.

There was plenty of conversation throughout the meal. Ranma and Akane were bombarded with questions from Nodoka, Kasumi, and even Soun about school, life in Juuban, and their well beings. They received most of their answers from Akane, who tried to alleviate any concerns they had, saying life was good and well. Of course, there was an unspoken understanding between Akane and Ranma, and Kasumi and Nodoka. The latter two were obviously worried about what they had heard on the news, and the former two knew this. However, they all knew that there would be a better time and place to discuss the more secretive matters.

Midori was also thrown a couple of questions, mostly from Nodoka. While she was spared the huge quantity of questions that Akane and Ranma had received, her interrogation was certainly harder. Most of Nodoka's questions to the girl were false and empty, such as how Nodoka's friend, Midori's 'mother', was doing, and how life was in Juuban. Every once in a while, she's be thrown a curve ball with a question like, "How long have you been in Juuban?" or "Do you have a job?". Midori started to catch on that the Saotome matriarch was trying to lightly pump her for information. None the less, the future girl managed to answer or deflect each of Nodoka's questions, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

The family finished up the first course, so Nodoka and Kasumi quickly gathered up the empty plates and platters and returned to the kitchen. Just then, the front door slid open and an exhausted call of "I'm home," came from the entryway. Nabiki Tendo dragged herself into the living room, her posture completely betraying her normally stoic figure. She was still wearing her suave business suit and skirt. "Hey everyone," she sighed. "Sorry I'm late. I came straight here from work."

Kasumi and Nodoka returned from the kitchen to greet the new arrival. "Nabiki, your shoes!" Kasumi called out. Nabiki looked down at her feet to see she was still wearing her heels. "Oh yeah, sorry, sis," she stated and quickly plucked them off, tossing them towards the entryway without a care. Midori thought she saw Kasumi's serene smile slightly waver before returning fully.

Nabiki was quickly assaulted with various greetings and hugs before being allowed to sit down and given a cup of hot tea. She thanked her sister for the drink and nearly collapsed into her seat. Soun looked at his middle daughter with concern. "Are you alright, Nabiki?" he asked.

The short-haired brunette looked at her father, her eyes showing her exhaustion. "Yeah, I'll be fine," she said. "Just had one heck of a crazy day at work."

Soun nodded in understanding. "The attack has been all over the news," he said before taking a sip of tea. "Some of their reporters even showed up at the headquarters looking for answers."

Nabiki massaged her temples and sighed. "You have no idea. It wasn't just the press. There was a seemingly endless amount of people looking for answers, wanting compensation for the collateral damage, and even people who absolutely insisted on speaking to the Senshi," she explained in frustration. "I think they were the hardest to appease."

The middle Tendo sister looked over to her younger sibling. Akane was shocked to see what appeared to be desperation in her sister's eyes. "Akane, Ranma, you two are close with the Senshi. I really think I'm going to need their help with this mess," she begged. "Is there any chance you could get them to play peacekeeper?"

Akane and Ranma looked at each other. Akane smiled sadly and addressed her sister. "I'll see what I can do, sis. From what I understand though, they're really busy as well."

Nabiki nodded. "Yeah, I imagine they would be," she sighed. "If they can help; at least a couple of them to keep people contained and happy, that would be most appreciated. Otherwise, I understand." Akane nodded in acknowledgment. Nabiki looked content and leaned forward. "Well with that... I'm starving!" she nearly screamed out, "Let's eat!"

Nodoka appeared from the kitchen with the next course and placed it on the table. She made sure to serve a generous amount to Nabiki before serving everyone else. "The businesswoman has spoken," she joked as she sat down before repeating Nabiki's line, "Let's eat."

* * *

Dinner had concluded and each member of the family split up to do their own things. Kasumi and Nodoka retreated into the kitchen to clean up. Soun and Genma went back to the shogi board and began a new game of their signature version of the classic. Nabiki had gone up to her room to grab some more casual clothing before heading to the bathroom to take a relaxing, and in her mind well-deserved, bath. Ranma, Akane, and Midori took up the space in the corner of the living room, watching TV while they sat on the couch.

When they first turned on the television, Midori stared entranced at the device, watching the commercials that were on as if they were a hypnotist's act. When Akane had addressed her in concern, Midori snapped out of it and promised Akane that she was fine, before adding under her breath that she was just a little intrigued by the "twentieth century device."

Nodoka returned to the living room and sat down next to her son. "Kasumi insisted that she finish cleaning," she informed them while rubbing Ranma's head. "I know better then to argue with her on that subject." Nodoka quickly looked around to make sure the men were out of earshot and that Nabiki was still in the bathroom before continuing. "Besides, I've been quite eager to hear the truth about mysterious little Midori here." A wide grin appeared on her lips.

Midori gulped and was about to make the excuse that she didn't know what Nodoka was talking about but she was interrupted as Akane placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's alright. She knows all about Ranma and I. She's pretty much part of the team." Nodoka couldn't help but get butterflies in her stomach from that statement. "Just explain to her what you felt comfortable telling us," Akane said warmly.

The future girl nodded and took a deep breath before launching into her explanation. She told Nodoka that she was in fact from the future, about a millennium ahead in fact, and that she and her friends Usa and Diana had come back in time at the Queen's orders. She admitted that while she and her friends were in the dark about the exact reason, they were pretty sure it had something to do with the current events that had just begun unfolding. Nodoka was of course somewhat confused on certain facts, seeing as she didn't know quite as much about the Senshi's past and future as they themselves did, so Midori attempted her best to fill in the blanks for the older woman, with Ranma and Akane assisting where they could.

"Wow, that's quite... unbelievable," Nodoka sighed as she reclined into the sofa. Her mind was reeling from everything that she had just been told. She looked thoughtful for a couple moments and then turned to face Midori. "So, your friend, Usa, is actually the daughter of the Queen, Serenity, who in the present day is Sailor Moon, correct?" she asked, mentally counting off the titles and names in her head.

Midori nodded in affirmation. "That's right. She was given the title and power of Sailor Moon for her fourteenth birthday. She had been through a lot of training before that, including quite a few missions during this time period." The long-haired girl looked somewhat sad at that remark, but she quickly cheered up.

Nodoka picked up on Midori's body language and smiled at her. "And what about you?" she asked. "You are also a Senshi. Do you have any ties to the Senshi of this time?" Nodoka gave the future girl a sly look. "Perhaps you are one of their daughters? Just as Usa is."

Midori's eyes suddenly shot open to an impressive width. The color of her face immediately transformed to a bright red. She hurriedly tried to break eye contact with everyone and found a mark on the wall to stare at. She stayed like that for a few moments before answering. "I'm afraid I can't answer that," she stammered out, still staring into space.

The Saotome matriarch simply smiled and said, "Of course not, dear. I'm certain this is quite an unnerving experience for you." She reached over and lightly grasped Midori's hand, causing the girl to relax. Midori turned to look Nodoka in the eyes, her expression much more neutral than it was previously. "You don't have to feel pressured. You're more then welcome to stay with us in Juuban, dear," Nodoka smiled sweetly.

Her lips suddenly shifted into a more sinister smirk. "However, I will warn you right now that I may poke at you for information on my son and daughter-in-law's status in the future," she informed Midori. The aforementioned couple started at that remark, but they both quickly grew silently thoughtful.

The future girl gulped but nodded. "I, uh, thank you for your hospitality... and for the warning." Nodoka's face returned to a more serene state. "Of course, dear. Think nothing of it."

Nabiki chose that moment to walk around the corner, dressed in a more casual t-shirt and pair of shorts, with her towel brandished around her shoulders. "That definitely felt good," she sighed in relief. She walked over to Akane after seeing the group sitting on the sofa.

"Listen, Akane," she began. "About what I asked you earlier. I'd still like you to give them my message, but after thinking about it some more, I think I'm going to have to ask at least Sailor Moon to come in to discuss this new development." Akane noticed that Nabiki's demeanor had returned back to its usual self. The bath had obviously allowed her sister to reapply her normal calculated and stoic stature. "If you get a chance, could you please try to get her and whoever else to come by as soon as they can? I plan on trying to get in contact with them with the communicator they left me, but they're pretty bad at answering it sometimes," she stated with a hint of annoyance.

Akane quickly nodded to her sister. "I'll relay your message as soon as I see one of them," she stated. Nabiki thanked her and quickly dismissed herself. She quickly climbed the nearby steps and the door to her room could be heard closing.

Ranma and Akane looked at each other. "Perhaps we should go with Moon," Akane suggested. "To support her of course."

The pigtailed boy shook his head before replying. "Maybe, but I imagine Nabiki and her advisers are going to ask some very in depth questions." He scratched his chin in thought. "I'd be okay with going, but I think Mercury or maybe even Luna will have to make an appearance as well."

Akane nodded. "That's probably a good idea," she admitted. "We'll talk to each of them tomorrow and maybe head over after school." With that out of the way, Akane refocused her attention on Midori. "Will you be alright staying at home all tomorrow?" she asked.

"That won't be a problem. I'll be fine," Midori stated, nodding. "Believe it or not, I brought plenty of things to do to pass the time while I'm here."

Nodoka smiled whimsically and grabbed Midori around the shoulder. "I don't have any plans tomorrow, so I should be home all day as well. Just think, it'll be a great opportunity for the two of us to get to know each other better."

"Oh boy, I can't wait," Midori responded sarcastically, cringing slightly. Her spirits were quickly lifted as the others around her burst into innocent laughs, including Nodoka.

"Relax dear, I promise you that you're in good hands," the Saotome matriarch laughed. Midori looked her in the eyes and let a warm smile grace her lips as she nodded. _Perhaps,_ she thought, _perhaps I CAN afford to relax a bit while I'm here._ Midori's smile grew and grew, until finally, she also burst out into laughter, joining the crescendo of happiness.

* * *

A very gloomy Usagi lurched slowly home. Usa walked beside her mother, also somewhat upset. The two girls had walked all the way to house that Uranus and Neptune lived in, only to find the house locked with no one home. The two girls tried calling each of the Outers, including Pluto, to no avail. After nearly an hour of trying to figure out what happened to them, a neighbor who was returning home informed the girls that the Tenou family was out of town on vacation. Usagi and Usa had no choice but to accept defeat and leave.

"I can't believe this!" Usagi cried. "We wasted so much time and probably missed dinner." Her stomach growled, obviously hearing such an important word. "I'm sooo hungry," the blonde girl whined.

Usa just looked at her mother with an annoyed glance. "How did you not know they went on vacation?" she asked accusingly. "It seems like that would be a pretty important piece of information."

Usagi looked back at the pink-haired girl and began tearing up. "They didn't tell us!" She rubbed her eyes and sniffled. "I swear none of us knew, you can ask anyone!"

Usa sighed. She could tell her mother was telling the truth. She straightened herself up and clasped her hands behind her head. "Well, that's certainly troublesome," she said. "For them to leave town without a word to any of their teammates. We're definitely going to have to talk to them as soon as they get back."

She looked over to Usagi who was trying to dry her tears. "Oh well," Usa breathed. "I guess we'll just have to cut our losses." She licked her lips. "Hopefully Aunt Ikuko has some leftovers ready for us, I'm starving too!"

Usa unclasped her hands and reached out towards her mother, smiling warmly at her somewhat twin. Usagi stared at the open hand for a few seconds before also smiling and offering her own hand, accepting the invitation. The two girls, or rather, the mother and daughter grasped hands and resumed their walk home with a new, faster pace. An aura of cheeriness emanated from the pair as they each forgot their troubles, and for now, were just happy to have each others' company.

* * *

Author's Notes:  
Not much to really say about this one. Kind of an easy-going chapter with lots of dialogue, some explanations, and other tidbits.

Next chapter will also be somewhat similar, mostly being an easy-going chapter from the other girls' points of view, before we head back into the conflict at hand.


End file.
